'Why should all suffer?': Supreme Court on plea to delay exam for foreign MBBS students

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea seeking to postpone the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), a licensure examination held for students who have done MBBS courses from foreign countries, slated for August 31. A plea was filed in the top court stating that several students are struck in foreign countries and they are not in position to return to India to take this exam. A bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari, noted: "Why should all students suffer because of inconvenience of some?"

The bench also noted that the exam is held twice in a year and students who miss the first attempt could take the second exam. However, the top court allowed the other prayer of the petitioner to consider the request for change of exam centres. Disposing of the plea, the top court asked the National Board of Examination to take a decision, within two days, on the prayer of the petitioner seeking change of exam centres.

On August 17, the same bench had said life should move on even in COVID-19 times and declined to entertain a plea seeking the postponement of the National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), slated in September. The bench noted that the postponement of the exams will put the career of the students in peril. Justice Mishra said if the exams are not held, then would it not be a loss for the country, as students will lose the academic year.

Declining to entertain the plea, Justice Mishra told the petitioners' counsel: "Are you not demanding that the court should be opened up amid Covid? Do you see this glass partition here? When we are getting ready to open up, you say exams should not be held?"