The Dravidar Kazhagam on Monday opened a new line of attack against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, claiming that it had unearthed evidence to question the test’s legal standing.
In a statement issued to The Hindu , DK president K. Veeramani said that neither the Central government nor the Medical Council of India had the power to conduct NEET. Mr. Veeramani said that he was confident that any petition challenging the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Act, 2016 in the Supreme Court would have been successful, leading to the cancellation of NEET.
Mr. Veeramani argued that the IMC Act, 2016 exceeds the law-making powers of Parliament. “Powers to decide on the regulations to the admission of students and conducting examinations come under the exclusive domain of universities,” he said. The Constitution states the power to incorporate and establish universities.
“The Central government wrongly assumed the existence of power and has interfered in the exclusive legislative domain of States,” he said.
The DK president also said that the NEET was not applicable to Tamil Nadu due to a 2007 Act passed in the Assembly to abolish entrance tests to all professional degree courses.
“The Act also got the assent of the President of India, which makes the Act equivalent to the Act legislated in the Parliament of India,” he said.
Mr. Veeramani said seeking exemption from NEET was not charity but claiming the rights of States. “It is the urgent duty of any individual or organisation having identical views against NEET, to challenge it in a court of law,” he said.
