A Covid survivor who has to travel all the way to Kharagpur to write his National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) had moved the high court asking what if the authorities did not allow him to write the paper because of his medical history.

The court on Wednesday directed the state to ask the examination-conducting agency to make arrangements so that Saumik Jana could write the test alone in a room.

Jana is from a village in Murshidabad district.

Moving a petition before Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, Jana said he was not opposed to going to Kharagpur for the test, but wondered what he would do if the authorities there did not allow him to take the exam because he had recently recovered from Covid-19.

All medical colleges in India admit students to their undergraduate courses through NEET.

Jana was sent to a quarantine centre for 14 days after he was diagnosed with the disease on August 18.

The counsel appearing for him said: “My client was declared Covid-free on September 2. According to health norms, he should be in home quarantine for 14 more days. The NEET authorities at the examination centre could say my client would not be allowed to sit the exam.”

The order to the state came following the submission.

The high court is swamped with appeals from NEET candidates, especially because the entrance test is preceded by two days of complete lockdown in the state. The court will hear many of the appeals on Thursday.

Transport and shelter

In another case before the same bench on Wednesday, Anindita Jana from East Midnapore said her test centre was in West Midnapore, nearly 150km from her home. Anindita’s counsel wondered how his client would reach the centre as the state would be under lockdown on September 11 and 12 and train services were yet to resume.

Justice Chakraborty directed the state government to arrange for a vehicle for Anindita so she could reach the venue.

Jayatri Pal, from Raiganj in South Dinajpur, expressed the same worry because her test venue was about 155km from her home.

Jayatri had moved the plea before Justice Arindam Sinha. The judge asked the state to provide accommodation for Jayatri in Siliguri from Thursday to Monday.