The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday said it will pass an order on Saturday in a plea challenging the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences’ (MUHS) decision to conduct physical exams for medical students on June 10.
A single judge Bench of Justice Avinash Gharote was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO Herd Foundation and Nitesh Tantarpale, a student, challenging the decision and the direction to sign an undertaking that the State would not be held responsible if students contract COVID-19 while appearing for the exam. The PIL has sought an online exam to be held for ‘Winter 2020’, where graduate and postgraduate students can appear for certificate courses.
Defending MUHS’s stand, advocate Abhijit Deshpande said, “We conducted a physical exam last year. Two phases of Winter 2020 have been conducted and the third one will begin on June 10. All question papers have been dispatched.”
The court said there is a fear that the virus will spread due to the congregation of students. Mr. Deshpande said, “We are taking all precautions. We have floated a suraksha kavach scheme for students.”
Advocate Rahul Bhangde, appearing for the petitioners, said that those who had appeared for exams in the first two phases were fully vaccinated, but the 45,000 students who will appear for the exam on June 10 must be vaccinated.
Mr. Deshpande said the students knew the exam was going to be held physically in October 2020, but have still challenged the decision. “If they are afraid of COVID-19, how will they treat patients? Only one student [petitioner] has come to court out of 44,000 students,” he said. Mr. Bhangde said the situation is very risky and asked if it was worth it if some students died as a result of the exam.
The court said, “So should everything in the country stop till everyone is vaccinated? Let the student get tested before he gets out of the house. Today, even those who are 45 years and above are not getting vaccines, how can students be bypassed? Getting infected is a risk all of us carry.”
