SC issues notice on plea for NEET in Urdu

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 3

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on a plea for conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions in Urdu, seeking the response of the Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of India (DCI) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). 

A Bench comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and R Banumathi passed the order on a petition by the Student Islamic Organisation (SIO). The petitioner pleaded that Maharashtra and Telangana had already sought introduction of Urdu in NEET. 

NEET is already being held in ten languages — Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. 

Non-inclusion of Urdu was arbitrary, discriminatory and unreasonable and as such violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, the petitioner pleaded. 

Urdu occupied the sixth position on the list of widely spoken languages of India, while Gujarati came seventh and Assamese 12^th, it contended.