PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed the Goa Medical College to organise a proctored examination -- in order to ensure that a student, and several other similarly placed students do not miss a year, owing to the ‘technical snag’ in the Goa Medical College website that didn’t allow her to log in to register for the examination despite one day left for registration.
The petitioner Rashmi Vijaykumar, is a postgraduate student of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT -- Ear, Nose and Throat) who was due to appear in the final examination of the post-graduation course scheduled on 12.06.2023.
However, in order to appear for the final examination one of the conditions which the postgraduate student has to fulfil is clearing of the Basic Course in BioMedical Research (BCBR).
Vijaykumar approached the High Court alleging that when she attempted to register herself for the April 2023 examination scheduled on April 29/30, 2023, notwithstanding her persistent attempts to log in, the website displayed the message “you have not enrolled in any courses” or that “the registration has closed”.
The advocate for the respondent conceded that despite the last date to enrol for the examination being March 21, the message reading that the registration was closed, was displayed on March 20 itself.
“If the website did display the message “the registration has closed” on March 20, 2023, the petitioner was obviously prevented from registering herself online due to the technical snag,” the Court observed, pointing out that previously the Court had observed that “a delay of about a year has serious consequences for a post graduate medical student.”
“We think that respondent No.3 should consider whether such further examination can be held in the month of May, 2023 so that not only the petitioner but similarly placed candidates get an opportunity to save a year,” she said.
The Medical College, however, told the Court that “it is not feasible to hold examinations in May or June” and that the next examination is scheduled on July 16, 2023.
The Medical College also pointed out that the portal was open for fifty-one days and as many as forty-eight students from the State of Goa could register online.
However, the High Court, taking cue from a precedent set by the High Court of Telangana, ordered that a proctored examination be held.
“Let the proctored examination be conducted by the respondents on or before 31.05.2023 and the result shall be declared on or before 07.06.2023,” the High Court said.
