New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday has ruled that the medical colleges of Tamil Nadu have to follow the common entrance examination NEET as the only basis for admissions. This comes as major setback for TN that sought an exemption from the Centre, at least for government-funded colleges.
The state at present uses Class 12 marks to decide medical admissions. It claims that NEET will make it hard for students from rural areas to compete with those in the cities for limited college seats, giving an unfair advantage to students from CBSE or national board schools.
The Supreme Court on August 17, 2017, said that there could be no "compromise on intellect" as it ordered status quo on admissions to undergraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu. The bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice AM Khanwilkar also said "no" to the state government's plea that it wanted to accommodate students from 'rural background' who were not that good.
NEET was made mandatory for admission in the MBBS and the BDS courses across India last year. There is a broad political consensus against the exam in Tamil Nadu, with parties demanding a permanent exemption and not just a temporary relief.The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) should be the basis for offering admission to all aspiring doctors, the top court said.
