REPORTS ON NEET VERDICT

Supreme Court clears decks on admission to medical colleges

New Delhi: Giving relief to lakhs of medical aspirants, the Supreme Court today cleared the decks for admission to MBBS, Dental and PG medical courses.

The court said the private and government medical colleges can declare results of entrance exams conducted by them. The top court, however, reserved its verdict on the validity of common entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) till July.

The stand-off between the private medical colleges and the Medical Council of India (MCI) over NEET had left the future of nearly 4 lakh students in limbo. These students had appeared for the NEET on May 5 for admission to MBBS and BDS courses.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) had brought in NEET to be applicable from the academic year 2013-14 to curb malpractices like capitation fee in admission to medical courses.

Several private medical colleges, however, challenged its implementation and moved the High Courts in state like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The state governments, along with other colleges, then moved the Supreme Court. The petitioners argued that the NEET interfered with their autonomy and right to admit students of their choice by conducting their own entrance tests without compromising on merit.

However, the MCI justified the NEET on the ground that it would avoid multiple entrance tests and minimise corruption and irregularities in admission to medical courses.

The Supreme Court, while seeking time, had allowed MCI to conduct NEET and private institutes to conduct their own entrance exams but restrained them from announcing the results till the court verdict is out. 

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SC tells medical colleges to declare results; NEET voluntary for now

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed medical colleges to declare all pending Post Graduate results, which were stayed by the December 13, 2012, order. However, this is only an interim arrangement for this year and a final judgement will be delivered by the Supreme Court in the first week of July.

The Supreme Court has also left the option of following the NEET result on the colleges. This means that the colleges who want to follow the NEET results for admissions can do the same and the colleges who want to admit students on the basis of their independent exams are free to do so. This makes NEET a voluntary admission process for colleges.

The court order comes more than a month after a CNN-IBN sting operation exposed how PG medical seats were being sold in black in clear violation of a Supreme Court order. It was the students who were caught in the line of fire. A Supreme Court order had put a stay on the admission process pending its NEET verdict leaving the fate of close to 90,000 medical aspirants hanging in the balance. The suspense had been leading to anger and frustration.

Upset with the delay in the admission process, medical students had also organised protest rallies and dharnas across the country demanding a single admission test.

The medical education standoff started with the MCI proposing a common entrance test for MBBS, Dental and PG Medical Courses. Opposing this, Private Medical and Dental Colleges moved the Supreme Court. Asking for time, the apex court had ordered the MCI to conduct NEET and also allowed all states and private colleges to conduct their entrance exams but not declare results till the court's verdict is out.

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SC directs declaration of medical entrance results; NEET verdict on July 1

New Delhi: The Supreme Court in an interim order on Monday ordered institutions to publish results of entrance exams that were put on hold by its judgement on December 13 last year. 

The decision on validity of the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/postgraduate/dental and postgraduate courses is now likely to come on July 1. 

As per the order, states can now go ahead and declare exam results and admit students. 

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justices Vikramajit Sen and Anil R Dave had heard arguments based on the petitions filed by Andhra Pradesh Government and others for over 4 months and reserved the judgment on April 30. 

Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and several private colleges and individuals had filed petitions in their state High Courts and obtained an interim stay against NEET applicability. 

In retrospect, the Medical Council of India had approached the Supreme Court to avoid multiplicity of proceedings. 

MCI in its petition had claimed that NEET would avoid multiple entrance tests, lessen corrupt practices and irregularities in the admission procedure for medical courses. 

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