HC refuses to postpone Mar 13-14 judicial exam

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday refused to postpone Delhi Higher Judicial Service Main Examination-2019, scheduled on March 13-14, till the COVID-19 vaccination drive is complete for lawyers.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and A J Bhambhani said the exam cannot be postponed at the eleventh hour as other candidates who have already arrived for writing the exam would be prejudiced. We are not going to postpone the exam. Other candidates would suffer, the bench said.

The court was hearing a petition filed by one of the candidates going to appear for the examination submitting that the petitioner is suffering from severe medical conditions, leaving him at a risk of serious and life threatening complications if he contracts coronavirus.

The bench issued notice to the Delhi High Court administration on the petition and asked them to file response in four weeks.

The bench perused the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be adopted by the high court for conducting the exam on Saturday and Sunday and considered the concession made by the high court administration. We direct them (high court administration) to provide the petitioner with a separate room in which he may write the subject examination.

It is further directed that the Delhi High Court shall provide the petitioner with every necessary medical assistance as may be required by him in

view of his stated medical condition, the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on May 5.