New Delhi, Jun 11 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Friday ordered postponement of AIIMS INI CET Examination, 2021, scheduled on June 16, by one month.

A bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and M R Shah said that considering many of the candidates intending to take the exam are on Covid duty and in remote areas, "we are of the opinion that June 16 date is arbitrary". The court said: "We direct the exam to be postponed by one month. Needless to say, exam can be held any time after the expiry of one month."

The top court also clarified that it will not entertain a petition in the matter to cancel the exam. The bench noted, how can we say don't conduct the exams at all? The court added that, "this has never happened. We can't entertain a request to waive the exam completely."

At the beginning of the hearing, the top court asked the counsel representing AIIMS to consider postponing the exam by a month, which was scheduled on June 16. Justice Banerjee said, "Situation in Delhi has improved but in other places figures are high. Can't this be postponed by a month?" AIIMS counsel Dushyant Parashar submitted that if the exam is stayed then there will be an unprecedented crisis. He submitted that several doctors will be recruited by this exam and these petitioners can apply in the next September session exam. "If stay is granted there will be no doctors," said Parashar. The bench said, "You do this or we will pass order".

Parashar sought time from the bench to come back with instructions. The bench asked him to revert at 12.30 p.m. today. After the hearing resumed in the matter, the bench passed the order postponing the exam by a month.

A group of 26 doctors led by Poulami Mondal contended that holding the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET) 2021 would be in contravention of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

The plea said initially the examination was scheduled to take place in May 2021, which stood postponed due to the worsening COVID situation. Later, the notification on May 27, issued by assistant controller (Exams), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), set the exam for June 16. The petitioners said there are some 815 seats in 10 colleges for which more than 80,000 doctors will take the examination.