New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Centre for promulgating the NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) Ordinance issued on May 24 to dilute its verdict mandating the test for admissions in graduation courses in all medical and dental colleges in the country.
It, however, chose not to stay the Ordinance, saying “we are not interfering as it will create more chaos” and also because 50% of the states empowered by the Ordinance have already completed their own entrance examinations for admissions in the government colleges.
The Bench of Justices Anil R.Dave, Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh Kumar Goel, however, stressed that “prima facie we find that the validity of the ordinance is open to doubt.” Presiding judge Dave, who had dealt with the NEET case earlier also, bluntly told the Centre: “What you have done is not in good taste. It shouldn’t have been done after the SC verdict. Why did you do this? This isn’t proper.” While the aspirants for admission in MBBS and BDS courses appeared in NEET-I on May 1, the Supreme Court had ordered NEET-II on July 24 to give opportunity to those who could not prepare for NEET-I.
NGO Sankalp of Vyapam scam fame had moved the top court for stay of the Ordinance, contending that it was a patent exercise of stepping on the judicial power to put the court decision on hold for one year. The Ordinance had allowed seven states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Punjab to conduct own entrance test for the last time and then fall in line for NEET as mandated by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court judges were angry because the Centre had consented to the NEET from this year, but it went against own commitment by issuing the Ordinance.
