The Tamil Nadu Law Department had, in December last year, sent a reminder to the Governor’s Secretariat on the Bill to dispense with NEET-based admissions for undergraduate medical courses, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly in September. This has come to light in a response from the Law Department to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In an application dated November 22, 2021, P. B. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System (Tamil Nadu) had sought to know the status of the Bill, which requires Presidential assent. Responding to this, Law Department Under Secretary K Sakthivel has informed Mr. Gajendra Babu on January 6 that a reminder was sent to the Raj Bhavan on December 1 last year.
In the letter, C. Gopi Ravikumar, Secretary to Government (Legislation), pointed out that on September 18, the Tamil Nadu Admission Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill 2021, passed by the Legislative Assembly, was submitted to the Governor to reserve the Bill for consideration of the President. He also said the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming Services (Promotions and Facilitation) Repeal Bill 2021 and the Bharathiar University (Amendment) Bill 202, were sent to the Governor’s Secretariat on September 20.
He requested the Secretary to Governor, “to obtain the orders of the Honourable Governor” on the Bills and to return the files to the Law Department.
Earlier, by a reply dated December 17, the Raj Bhavan had informed Mr. Gajendra Babu that the file relating to the NEET exemption Bill “is under consideration” of the Governor.
On January 8, chairing a meeting of all-party legislators on the NEET Bill, Chief Minister M K Stalin had complained that the Governor did not forward the Bill to the President though he had met and urged him to do so. A delegation of Tamil Nadu MPs is also expected to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard in a few days. The BJP, which has four MLAs, has defended the NEET.
