Srinagar CNS 06Sep; The supreme court on Monday refused to defer the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG examination, scheduled for September 12, saying it does not want to interfere with the process and it will be “very unfair” to reschedule it.
A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said if students want to appear in multiple exams, then they need to prioritise and make a choice as there may never be a situation where everyone is satisfied with the date of exams.
The apex court said however that the petitioners will be at liberty to make a representation before the competent authorities on the issue and the same may be decided at the earliest in accordance with the law.
The apex court was hearing a petition seeking deferment of the examination on the ground that several other exams are scheduled during the period. Last year, the NEET was conducted on September 13 amid strict precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam of whom 7,71,500 qualified.
In a first, the NEET-UG exam 2021 will be conducted in 13 languages with Punjabi and Malayam being the new additions, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced in July. He had also said that a new exam centre for the NEET has been opened in Kuwait to facilitate the Indian student community in the Middle East.(CNS)
