AIAPGET 2020: A petition filed in SC for Postponement of AYUSH PG entrance exam

A petition has been signed by doctors for postponement of All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test or the AIAPGET 2020 entrance examination scheduled in August. 

About 17 BAMS and BHMS doctors have filed a petition before the Supreme Court to postpone the exam scheduled on August 29, 2020.

Working as “Corona Warriors” across several hospitals in India, these BAMS/ BHMS doctors stated in the petition that the exam scheduled would violate their right to equality as they would not be able to appear for AIAPGET entrance exam because of-

• already being infected by COVID-19, or 
• being quarantined.

Due to the extension in lockdown, the AIAPGET 2020 was previously postponed on July 15, 2020. 

Read: AIAPGET 2020 Preparation Tips, Syllabus and Best Books

Amidst the increase in number of coronavirus infections, the petition filed and drawn by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava reads, "Due to the fact of already being infected by COVID-19 or due to being in quarantine presently, many Doctors (including many Petitioners herein) will be deprived of appearing in the aforesaid AIAPGET- 2020 on 29.08.2020, which will be in flagrant violation of their fundamental right to equality, as enshrined within Article 14 of Constitution of India."

On behalf of 17 BAMS/ BHMS Doctors, who are serving as “Frontline Corona Warriors” in various Hospitals across India,

I have filed a Petition in Supreme Court, seeking postponement of AYUSH PG Entrance Test (AIAPGET)-2020, which is scheduled to be held on 29.08.2020.#AIAPGET

— Alakh Alok Srivastava (@advocate_alakh) August 16, 2020

NTA released a public notice on August 11, 2020 stating that the AYUSH PG entrance exam would be held on August 29, 2020. Students are concerned about their performance because of very less time for preparation. 

The petitioners have argued that they have been tirelessly providing medical aid during the pandemic which has led to less or no time for them to prepare for the exam. 

They also stated the risk posed on other students appearing for the exam. They stated that there were 9.36 lakh COVID-19 cases in India on July 15, 2020 when AIAPGET 2020 exam was first postponed to July 29, 2020.

However, now there are about 26 lakh corona cases in India, which pose a risk to other doctors appearing for the exam as well.

The petition also states that there are very few AIAPGET 2020 exam centers and that the notification has not considered the plight of students living in states that have been severely hit by the floods. It has also stated examples of other entrance exams such as Karnataka PGCET, CSIR UGC NET, Maharashtra MHTCET, etc. which were postponed solely because of the COVID-19 crisis.

The plea filed states that the exam must be held only when normalcy is restored. Students have taken on to social networking websites to postpone the AIAPGET 2020 exam in large numbers.