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.
