New Delhi, 19 July

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea challenging a decision of the National Medical Commission (NMC) to not conduct NEET-Super Speciality examination in 2024.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) can be taken by doctors having post-graduate degrees like MD, MS, and DNB, or an equivalent qualification for admission to super-speciality courses.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was told by a lawyer, appearing for 13 aspirants, that the NMC has decided to not hold the exam this year. As per news reports, NEET-SS is likely to be conducted in January 2025.

While issuing notices to the Centre, Medical Counselling Committee and the NMC, the bench also gave liberty to petitioners Rahul Balwan and 12 others to make NBE (National Board of Examinations) a party to the petition and listed it for hearing on July 26.

Referring to an earlier judgement, the petitioners said NEET-SS has to be held every year and, moreover, the time schedule has already been fixed by the top court for admission to super-speciality courses.

The lawyer said the decision to postpone the exam this year apparently stemmed from the fact that there were delayed admissions to medical courses earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic.