NGO to challenge Centre's proposed ordinance on NEET in SC

The Centre's bid to allow states to continue with their separate entrance tests for MBBS and BDS courses, besides uniform medical entrance test NEET, for 2016-17 through an ordinance is likely to be challenged in the Supreme Court by an NGO.

The NGO, Sankalp Charitable Trust which had earlier moved the apex court in support of uniform medical entrance examination, National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), today said that it would challenge the ordinance, approved by the Union Cabinet, as soon as it is notified.

Advocate Amit Kumar, who had appeared for the NGO, said that the order of the Supreme Court can't be circumvented by the government by bringing an ordinance.

"There are multiple grounds on which we will be challenging the ordinance, once it is notified. The Centre during the hearing of the case had taken a stand before the Supreme Court that it has no difficulty in holding the NEET. Now it cannot just take a U-turn and allow state boards to be out of the ambit of the single common entrance test," the lawyer said.

The Union Cabinet today approved promulgating an ordinance to keep state boards out of the ambit of uniform medical entrance examination, NEET, for one academic session.

The executive order is aimed at "partially" overturning a Supreme Court order which said the NEET or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test will be held on July 24.

So far, 6.5 lakh students have already sat for the first phase of NEET held on May 1. The next phase of the exam is scheduled for July 24.

Once the ordinance is cleared, students of state government boards will not have to sit for NEET on July 24. They, however, will have to become part of the uniform entrance exam from next academic session, government sources clarified.

The exam will be applicable for those applying for Central government and private management institutions under the management quota.

The apex court had on May 9 rejected pleas of state governments and minority institutions to allow them to hold separate entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses for 2016-17, saying only NEET provides for conducting such test for admission to these courses.

The top court had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and Medical Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1.

It had said that those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given 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.