Supreme Court orders 2-stage national medical test
The Supreme Court ordered the Centre on Thursday to conduct the National Entrancecum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for undergraduate courses, ending speculation over holding the common entrance exam for medical colleges for academic year 2016-17.
A bench headed by justice AR Dave brushed aside stiff opposition from states and private colleges to rule the NEET be held in two phases — on May 1 and July 24. The combined results of both the tests will be declared on August 17 and, as per the CBSE schedule, counselling will end September 30.
The order came after the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Medical Council of India (MCI) gave a joint undertaking to conduct the exam in two phases.
CBSE counsel, additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, said the board had fixed May 1 for the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and that would be rescheduled as the first phase of the NEET. She said more than 670,000 students had already enrolled themselves for the paper.
According to Anand, around 250,000 students were left who, she said, could be accommodated in the second phase.
“Combined result of both the
THE EXAM WILL BE HELD ON MAY 1 AND JULY 24 AND THE RESULT OF THE TEST DECLARED ON AUGUST 17, SAYS COURT
tests shall be declared on 17th August, 2016. CBSE will provide all-India rank,” the court said.
“Admitting authorities will invite applications for counselling and merit list shall be drawn based on all-India rank,” the bench said, directing state governments, institutions and police departments to extend necessary support for the NEET.
“If there is any difficulty with regard to implementation of orders of this court, the stakeholders may approach this court,” it said, disposing an application filed by a trust seeking the NEET be held this year.
On April 11, a five-judge SC bench had recalled its 2013 verdict quashing the MCI notification introducing the NEET. The judgment was delivered on a batch of petitions challenging the common entrance exam. But there was uncertainty over whether the NEET would be implemented this year as the court decided to examine the MCI’s notification afresh.
The states and a consortium of private colleges contested the application on the grounds that some colleges had already held exams. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan took strong exception to justice Dave heading the three-judge bench to decide the application. He said the judge dissented in the 2013 verdict. “It’s a dissenting judge pushing his case,” he told the court. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the MCI, created an uproar after he said students who did not enrol themselves for AIPMT were not “serious medical students”.
“… we record that NEET shall be held as stated by the respondents. We further clarify that notwithstanding any order passed by any court earlier with regard to not holding NEET, this order shall operate...,” the bench said. Its order, the court said, would not affect the case before a constitution bench on the NEET’s legitimacy.