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Supreme Court refuses to stay NEET ordinance
A Supreme Court bench on Friday put an end to the uncertainty hovering over the entrance tests to be conducted by States by refusing to interfere with Centre’s ordinance which virtually diluted the earlier SC order for implementation of NEET from the current academic year itself. It said it would look into the validity of the ordinance after summer vacation.
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench on Friday put an end to the uncertainty hovering over the entrance tests to be conducted by States by refusing to interfere with Centre’s ordinance which virtually diluted the earlier SC order for implementation of NEET from the current academic year itself. It said it would look into the validity of the ordinance after summer vacation.
The ordinance signed recently by the President allows States to hold their test this year but admission in private colleges would be done only through NEET. As late as on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to the Centre opposing the NEET for her State as it did not have a CET system for admissions.
The Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Prafulla C Pant and Justice D Y Chandrachud court was hearing a petition alleging that the ordinance brought by Narendra Modi government was illegal and arbitrary, and it should be quashed as it frustrated SC's decision to implement NEET.
The petition, filed by whistle-blower of Vyapam scam Anand Rai, said that the ordinance was in complete contradiction with the Centre's stand before the SC where the government had backed implementation of single test for admission in MBBS/ BDS courses in all medical colleges.
Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for Rai, informed the bench that the ordinance virtually reverses the SC order and the government could not upset court's order by executive decision.
"In light of the submissions made before the Supreme Court and now a complete U-turn from that stand by the Centre, the present ordinance shows mala fide and ill-intent towards the process of admission of students who shall suffer the most because of this see-saw of rule-making by the government," he said.
The bench observed, “it would create further confusion for students. Let the students appear in examination with some certainty".
Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi defended the Centre's decision stating that ordinance was needed as many States had already conducted the exam before SC passed the order.
He said the ordinance was also brought in to protect the interests of students who were to appear in state examination in "regional language and they would have faced difficulty if NEET is to be conducted in Hindi and English”. The court agreed with the plea of A-G and refused to stay Centre's decision saying any interference at this stage would create more problems for students which should be avoided.
