File Photo: Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court today extended time for re-conducting the All India Pre Medical Test-2015 and directed CBSE to declare the results by August 17 after the board had pleaded that it would be impossible for it to hold the test afresh in four weeks.
The apex court's order came on a petition by Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) for extension of time to conduct the AIPMT afresh.
The court, while quashing on June 15 the AIPMT-2015 on the ground of large-scale irregularities, had asked CBSE to re-conduct the exam within four weeks.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for CBSE, told a bench of Justices RK Agrawal and AM Sapre that four weeks is insufficient for re-conducting the examination.
Mr Rohatgi said the exam would be conducted at around 1000 centres and since vacations are going on, there is shortage of teachers. He said that the board also needs time to prepare the question papers again.
"A large number of schools would be required for the exam. There is shortage of teachers, invigilators and para-military forces," he said.
The Attorney General said that normally the board needs around seven months to hold examinations but "we have compromised and seek only three months ".
However, the court said, "In the past everything was done in one month. We are living in an era of technology and everything is possible now."
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Medical Council of India (MCI), which conducts counselling, urged CBSE to squeeze its time period and hold the exam within the period decided by the apex court.
"We are not in adversarial litigation. We are only concerned with future of the students. If the deadline is not maintained, only state quota seats would be filled. Thus there will be two parallel batches for the same course which will affect future post-graduate admissions and ultimately students will suffer," he said.
The bench said, "Work out the things together as you are sailing in the same boat. We have got genuine difficulty and we cannot do away with the dispute."