New Delhi: The Supreme Court was moved on Thursday challenging the Neet ordinance allowing the states to admit students to government medical colleges through their own common entrance tests for academic year 2016-2017.
The petition filed by Dr Anand Rai, the whistle-blower and rights activist who exposed the Vyapam medical scam in Madhya Pradesh, questions the arbitrary manner in which the Centre issued the ordinance on May 24 for political considerations due to pressure from the states. It seeks the quashing of the May 24 ordinance and an interim stay of its operation.
Dr Rai said this ordinance enables the states to conduct their own entrance exams in respect of state government seats (whether in government medical colleges or private medical colleges) for 2016-17, essentially implying exemption from Neet for some states.
He pointed out that the government of India itself had accepted in the apex court the need for a unified uniform examination for undergraduate and PG levels and was of the opinion that the situation in the present scenario was that Neet ought to be conducted with urgency. The CBSE, which is conducting Neet, even provided a schedule to this court which is recorded in the orders of this court dated April 27, April 28 and May 9. “Hence the present ordinance is a completely contradictory stand by the Centre within a span of four weeks. This is also done at a belated stage as the examination itself is to be scheduled within the next eight weeks as per the schedule given by CBSE itself and the discriminating ordinance further creates confusion amongst students,” the petitioner said.
He added that the power to promulgate an ordinance was exercised with the sole intention of upsetting the orders of this court and shows ill intent. The petition is likely to be heard in a day or two.
