NEET will be held as per schedule: SC

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, April 29 

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to modify its yesterday’s order for holding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in two phases on May 1 and July 24 for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses this year.

A Bench headed by Justice Anil R. Dave stuck to the ruling even as Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, pleaded that the NEET schedule had created a lot of confusion and required changes. At least, the first phase should be scrapped and NEET should be held in one phase on July 24, the Attorney-General suggested.

But the apex court said the Bench, which passed the order yesterday, was not sitting today and as such the plea could not be heard immediately. “Let the May 1 schedule go on,” while the plea would be heard on May 3, Justice Dave said.

It is learnt that the Centre has come to the Supreme Court at the instance of the state governments in the South, some of which are granting medical admissions on the basis of marks obtained by the students in the plus two examination or are conducting their own entrance tests under state laws. Assembly elections are to be held in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on May 16.

Rohatgi also contended that since NEET would be conducted only in English and Hindi this year, students from the southern states would feel aggrieved as other vernacular languages were being ignored.