The Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 8, asked the MBBS students seeking extending one-year internship deadline beyond May 31 to make a representation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath said that looking at the hardship faced by the aspirants, the MoHFW may decide on the representation within one week from the date of its submission. Criteria for aspirants for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) PG 2022 states that aspirants should have completed a minimum term of internship in order to be eligible for the exam.

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The bench said that it is not expressing any opinion on the issue at this stage. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the MBBS students, said that the examination has been extended but the deadline for completing the mandatory internship, which is currently May 31, 2022, can be extended by a month or two.

The bench said that it would be like stepping into the policy decision as there is no uniform date for commencement of the internship. "Even if we do extend the deadline by a month or two, some students might still miss out on the one-year requirement for the internship. It is more of a policy decision, so let the government consider," the bench said.

The top court noted that the date of NEET PG 2022, which was earlier scheduled to be held in March, has now been extended.