Chennai: The Union government has informed the Madras high court that the two bills namely the Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill, 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Post Graduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry Bill, 2017, received from the Tamil Nadu government for obtaining the Presidential assent, were rejected.
Senior Central Government Standing Counsel A. Kumaraguru and T.V. Krishnamachari, appearing for Union of India made a submission to this effect when a batch of petitions from I.P. Kanagasundaram, P.B.Gajendra Babu, Tamil Nadu Students Parents Welfare Association and U.Mustaffa came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justices S.Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad on Friday.
In their petitions, they sought a direction to the Union government to complete the procedures, for obtaining the Presidential assent, for the Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS courses Act, 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Post Graduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry Act, 2017.
They submitted that the central government in view of centralization of all the powers had introduced National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/BDS and PG courses. Protesting the same, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had on July 16, 2016 made a request to the Union of India to grant exemption from the NEET. However, the Union government refused to accept the request and proceeded to conduct NEET on May 7, 2017.
Aggrieved, the Tamil Nadu state government passed two bills and sent them to the Union government for getting presidential assent. However, the Union government has not taken steps. Therefore, they filed the present petitions, they
added.
When the case came up for hearing on Friday, A.Kumaraguru and T.V.Krishnamachari, SCGSC, appearing for Union of India submitted that they have received a communication from the under secretary (Judicial and PP), Ministry of Home Affairs, to the effect that bills (The Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill, 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Post Graduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry Bill, 2017) were received from Government of Tamil Nadu, on February 20, 2017.
The bills were withheld by the President of India, on September 18, 2017. On the clarification sought for, as to whether bills were withheld or rejected, the Union Secretary (Judicial and PP), Ministry of Home Affairs, has stated that bills have been rejected, they added.
The bench said, “We direct, the Secretary, Union of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, to file an affidavit setting out the details of the receipt of the bills, in particular the date of rejection, as submitted by the counsel for Union of India”.
The bench posted to July 16, further hearing of the case.
