New Delhi: In a significant order, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected pleas of state governments and minority institutions wherein they had asked the court to modify its order which says undergraduate admissions to medical courses can only be done through the NEET (the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test).
Turning down the pleas, the court underscored that states cannot conduct separate entrance exams.
The top court also approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, the CBSE and the Medical Council of India for treating the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1. Those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given an opportunity to appear in NEET-II on July 24 and the combined result would be declared on August 17, so that the admission process can be completed by September 30.
Around 6.5 lakh students had taken the NEET-I test held on May 1.
The apex court also rejected the contentions of the state governments, private medical colleges and minority-run institutions like the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and the CMC Ludhiana that they have the legislative competence to hold separate entrance tests.
NEET was made the common entrance test for undergraduate medical courses after a large number of complaints poured in of malpractices in the admission process. So far, in absence of a common entrance test, states and private colleges were holding their own entrance exams and imposing their own criteria on students, who were being forced to sit for scores of tests.
