NEET is here to stay, asserts SC on CMC’s plea

In a decision that could have an impact on the petition filed by the State government against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Supreme Court turned down a fresh attempt by prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, to keep its admission outside the ambit of the all-India entrance examination.

Hearing the CMC’s petition on Monday, a two-judge bench of the apex court, including Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Indira Banerjee, ruling out any reconsideration on going back on the decision to make NEET mandatory for medical admissions. “We are not going to go back on the decision that NEET is a must for medical courses,” the bench said.

The CMC had challenged the notification amending the Medical Council of India and the Dental Council of India rules, making NEET mandatory for admission to medical colleges – which incidentally is the same as the petition that the State government had filed earlier this month.

During the hearing, Justice Mishra asked senior advocate Shyam Diwan, the counsel for CMC, how exemption could be granted for one institution alone. “Is it the job of the court to change the system of examination when the Supreme Court had already given a right judgment on the issue? There is no question of going back on that,” Justice Mishra observed.

When the court said that the CMC’s contention has already been settled, advocate Diwan said it was a new petition filed against the amendment of the law. However, it failed to move the judges, who ruled out any change as sought by the institution.

Last week, Justice Mishra had dismissed another plea by CMC against implementing NEET for its admissions on the grounds that it was a minority institution.

In the first week of January, Tamil Nadu had filed a plea citing the difficulties caused by the NEET examinations to the students hailing from rural background and to the poor people who are not in a position to take such a test. The petition had given details of the numbers of rural students who took the medical entrance exam when it was conducted by the state government and the fall in their numbers after NEETbecame mandatory.