HC directs Centre, State to respond to case against NEET committee

The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered notices returnable by July 5 to the Centre and the State authorities on a writ petition difficult the structure of the Justice A.K. Rajan committee to research the influence of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on medical admissions within the State.

Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy accepted a request made by Advocate-General R. Shunmugasundaram to grant him time to file a counter affidavit. The judges ordered that the papers must also be served on Additional Solicitor General R. Sankaranarayanan to confirm the Centre’s stand.

K. Nagarajan, State basic secretary of the BJP, had filed the writ petition. His counsel V. Raghavachari stated NEET was launched from the educational yr 2017-18 to guarantee merit-based admissions to medical schools within the nation. Nevertheless, the State authorities had been trying to search exemption from it by each doable means.

On June 22, 2017, a authorities order was issued, stating that medical admissions within the State can be carried out primarily based on Plus Two marks for the educational yr 2017-18 if the President grants assent earlier than the discharge of the rank listing to a Bill handed within the Assembly on February 1, 2017. Otherwise, it was determined to observe NEET marks for admissions in the course of the yr.

While taking such a call, the G.O. additionally said that 85% medical seats shall be crammed up with State Board college students and 15% with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) college students.

When this situation was taken to the Supreme Court, a three-judge Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, Kurian Joseph and Amitava Roy handled the case.

The Bench, on August 22, 2017, ordered that the “State of Tamil Nadu shall not make any kind of distinction or discrimination between the examinations conducted by various Boards; and admissions shall be effected as per the result of the NEET examination.”

After studying out the Supreme Court’s order, Mr. Raghavachari stated the State authorities had now launched into a wasteful expenditure of public cash by constituting a committee to research the influence of NEET, when the Supreme Court had categorically held that Tamil Nadu ought to fall according to different States within the nation and observe solely NEET marks for medical admissions.

The Chief Justice stated the structure of the committee may find yourself to be an train in futility, when the Supreme Court had insisted upon medical admissions primarily based on NEET alone. He additionally stated the State authorities ought to have obtained the go away of the Supreme Court earlier than constituting the panel.

In reply, the Advocate General advised the courtroom that the committee had been constituted following a coverage resolution taken by the courtroom and to fulfil an electoral promise made by the ruling social gathering. The A-G added that he would reply all these questions by means of a counter affidavit subsequent week.