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No CET ? NEET for MBBS likely to be postponed : Health Ministry seeks legal opinion

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Faced with stiff Opposition by Tamil Nadu and demand by Goa, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh for a deferment of the Common Entrance Test / National Entrance cum Eligibility Test ( CET / NEET ) for MBBS aspirants by a year, the Health Ministry has sought legal opinion, which is being seen as “playing safe” on the contentious issue. It has been already announced that there will be no CET For PG Admissions in 2012. 

CET / NEET for MBBS likely to be postponed : Health Ministry seeks legal opinion
CET / NEET for MBBS likely to be postponed : Health Ministry seeks legal opinion

We are still not able to understand why the media is repeating the same lie that “MBBS students will have to give only one examination instead of the current 17 entrance tests”. The Only Test that is going to be stopped is the State Entrance. AIIMS, JIPMER etc are going to continue with their own entrance. So Students are going to get just one exam less from the present situation and not just one exam as it has been repeatedly told in media. One hopes media exercises restraint instead of spreading false news !!

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Here is the latest report from http://dailypioneer.com/nation/23959-health-ministry-seeks-legal-opinion.html

Faced with the demand by Goa, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh for a deferment of the Common Entrance Test (CET) for MBBS aspirants by a year, the Health Ministry has sought legal opinion, which is being seen as “playing safe” on the contentious issue.

The CET is scheduled to be held from the academic session 2012-13, which the four States have demanded to be postponed and held in academic session 2013-14.

However, the move has not gone down well with the Medical Council of India (MCI), which has termed it as “delaying tactics”.

Defending the decision, a senior Health Ministry official told The Pioneer, “The four States have expressed their reservation over conducting the examination from the academic session 2012-2013. They have submitted before the Ministry that the CET may be postponed by an academic year so that their students get acquainted with the new syllabus prepared by the Council.”

The revised medical course for single entrance test for MBBS examination has been put up on the MCI website for the consideration of the States. The Council is keen to hold the examination from 2013.

But then, keen that all the States are taken on board over the issue as the CET — also called as National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) — cannot be introduced arbitrarily, the Health Ministry is now consulting Law Ministry for its suggestion on the matter.

“Now the issue is under the legal scanner so that a decision on whether we can go ahead with the CET or postpone the examination till 2013 can be taken. We are waiting for the Law Ministry’s,” the official said.

“Of the 34 States, only four, are keen for a postponement. When the Supreme Court has already given the go ahead and with just five months to go for CET what is the need for approaching the Law Ministry,” MCI officials said. They said besides the four States, Tamil Nadu has opposed the CET citing reservation policy in the state.

Once given the go ahead, MBBS students will have to give only one examination instead of the current 17 entrance tests being held to fill 32, 000 UG seats in medical colleges across the country.

From http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article2627833.ece

Determined to get some respite for the State students in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) the Government is studying the grounds on which Tamil Nadu government has decided to stay away from NEET-2012.

Officials said that team working to challenge NEET in the High Court was asked to obtain the details on which the Tamil Nadu government has declined to participate in NEET and see whether similar arguments can be incorporated in the petition to be filed by the State government in the High Court on Tuesday, most likely.

The Tamil Nadu government has been arguing that its admissions into engineering and medical courses are not based on any entrance test but on the scores obtained in the 12{+t}{+h} class examinations. Moreover, the reservation system is complex there with 69 per cent of seats reserved and if the NEET is taken admissions may be challenged by some on the ground that not more than 50 per cent reservations can be given for any examination conducted by the Central government.

Officials said, though these conditions might not hold true for the State, other reasons like lack of time for students for preparation, variation in the syllabus and language of the question paper continue to haunt them. The government will also argue that when Tamil Nadu gets exemption why not Andhra Pradesh? “If it’s a national exam, it should be the same for all the States. We are pinning our hopes on these factors,” an official said. “Another point is medical institutions are State funded unlike the IITs or NITs and State should have a say in their admission procedures.” Interestingly, the Maharashtra government too has argued on similar grounds in its petition in the Supreme Court, which asked it to settle the issue in the State High Court. Officials are also positive for the fact that the Supreme Court, instead of dismissing Maharashtra’s petition, asked it to move the High Court. Gujarat government too argued on the basis of syllabus variation and language of question paper leading to disadvantage of local students.

AIUMCA plea

Rajahmundry Staff Reporter adds: The newly-formed All India Un-aided Medical Colleges Association (AIUMCA) has appealed to the State government to go by the recent judgement of the Supreme Court permitting students from Andhra Pradesh not appear for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

AIUMCA president Ganni Bhaskar Rao said the court had delivered judgment on November 8 in a case between Dr. Dinesh Kumar and others versus Motilal Nehru Memorial College. The apex court, quoting provisions of the Constitution under Article 371-D, ruled that the students from Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir need not appear in the All India Entrance Examination for admission to MBBS/BDS and postgraduate courses in other States. It quoted its judgment of 1984 in a case between Pradeep Jain and the Union of India.

According to Dr. Bhaskar Rao, the court also mentioned that the High Courts of the two States shall not pass any order interim or final, for the participation of the students of these two States in the UG or PG seats in the all-India quota in future.