Supreme Court issues notice to Centre over plea against last-minute changes in NEET-SS syllabus
The plea by 41 PG Qualified Doctors contended that last-minute changes were done to favour general medicine candidates.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and National Medical Council (NMC) on a plea by post-graduate doctors alleging the last-minute change to the syllabus for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Super Specialty (NEET-SS) 2021.
The plea by 41 PG Qualified Doctors contended that last-minute changes were done to favour general medicine candidates.
A Bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice BV Nagarathna sought the response from the Centre and NMC and posted the matter for hearing on Monday, September 27, Bar and Bench reported.
The plea challenged the move of the government on the ground of lack of authority as well as being manifestly arbitrary.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that notification for the examination, scheduled to be held in November this year, was issued on July 23, however, on August 31, 2021, another notification was issued changing the pattern of the exam when only 2 months remained before NEET SS 2021 exams scheduled to be held on November 13 and 14, ANI reported.
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"There were questions that were based on the practice that we did in Critical Care. Now they've completely transformed the same. There was no hint that there is going to be any change in pattern," Divan said as quoted by Bar and Bench.
In 2018, 40 percent questions were from general medicine and 60 percent from super speciality.
"This is a post graduate exam and the 60 percent speciality questions was a great leveller. (Now after revised syllabus) advantage to general medicine is enormous since hundred percent questions are from there," he said as quoted by Bar and Bench.
"They have all along been preparing in terms of the pattern that has been in place for the last three years, especially because on earlier occasions -- 2018 and 2019 when changes in the pattern/scheme were proposed to be made, the changed pattern/scheme was made public almost six months prior to the NEET-SS exams to ensure availability of ample time to the students for making preparations," the plea further stated.
(With inputs from agency)
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