Supreme Court permits the resumption of NEET-PG counselling

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• Jan 7, 2022 | moderator

Digital Desk: The Supreme Court of India has permitted the resumption of NEET-PG counselling. This decision has brought a big relief for the doctors. Due to the delay in the decision, NEET-PG counselling was on hold for months.

The Supreme Court of India has also confirmed the constitutional validity of 27% reservation for OBC (other backward classes) and 10% for EWS (economically weaker sections) categories for the admission of medical courses for this term.

NEET-PG or the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Post-Graduate) is a qualifying and ranking examination for medical students for admission to over 100 private and medical colleges.

For EWS, Rs 8 lakh annual income standards have been maintained for this academic year. A thorough hearing on EWS reservation will be held in March when the court will evaluate the validity of EWS allotments.

Doctors all over the nation were protesting against the delay in the NEET-PG counselling process. Amid the rising threat of Covid-19 in the nation, this decision by SC has spun out to be a stand-in for doctors. 

"We have been hearing this matter for two days. We must start counselling in the national interest," the bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice AS Bopanna stated.

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The NEET-PG counselling for these admissions was supposed to start last October. However, it was postponed after a clutch of pleas were filed in the top court challenging the government's July 29 statement announcing 27% reservation for OBCs and 10% for EWS category students.

On Wednesday, Supreme Court heard final statements from both sides. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, seeming for the government, stated he wanted to dispel the mess that the modified standards would "change the rules of the competition midway".

This reply responded to the senior advocate Shyam Divan, who seemed for the petitioners, expressing the July statement had impacted students because it was presented after the exams were announced.

The government after that requested the Supreme Court to permit NEET-PG counselling - with current criteria included - to continue as the pause had directed to large-scale protests by local physicians across the nation.

The government also stated that changing standards when admissions and allocation of colleges for NEET will bring only complications.

Moreover, due to the NEET-PG counselling delay, medical professionals were facing a severe workload during the surge of Covid-19 cases.