Vyapam scam whistleblower Anand Rai on Thursday moved the Supreme Court. challenging the recently promulgated ordinance diluting the apex court order that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be the sole window for undergraduate medical and dental admissions for this academic year.
The ordinance, signed by the President, allows States to conduct their own admission tests alongside NEET only for this year taking into consideration that several States had already conducted their own exams by the time the apex court passed its order leaving students in a quandary.
The petition is likely to be listed for hearing before a vacation Bench in a day or two.
Besides seeking quashing of the ordinance, which got Presidential assent on May 24, the plea has also sought a stay on the operation of the ordinance as an interim relief.
“U-turn”It accused the Centre of taking a “U-turn” from what it said in court.
The petition alleged that this change of stand showed “mala fides and ill-intent towards the process of admission of students who shall suffer the most.”
“The normal democratic legislative process involves the people’s representatives in the two Houses openly enacting a law after full consideration and discussion. An ordinance seeks to circumvent this procedure for it is drafted secretly in government chambers and is promulgated without an open discussion and hence it becomes even more pertinent that the ordinance-making power is not invoked lightly but only when absolutely necessary to do so, and the situation cannot be otherwise met effectively,” the petition said.
