NEET-UG mandatory for nursing, maintains Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected an appeal related to admission in BSc Nursing courses which had challenged the notification issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) that made clearing of NEET-UG examination a prerequisite. The appeal was preferred from the order of a Single Judge, refusing to interfere in the matter. 

The court held that merely because the appellants wanted to compete for BSc (Nursing) as opposed to the Military Nursing Service, it makes no difference. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta observed that the case of the appellants is no different from the earlier decided case of Saloni Yadav where it was held that there is no infirmity in NTA’s decision to include a mandatory eligibility condition of qualifying the NEET-UG as a pre-condition for admission in Military Nursing Service courses. 

The counsel of the appellant had argued that Military nursing service aspirants have a different eligibility criteria and their exams are conducted by the Director General of Military Service. However, the court dismissed it saying that it is an irrelevant comparison.  It further noted that the appellants have been given enough notice to prepare for the NEET-UG Examination which is slated to be held in July 2022. 

In the appellant’s case, they had been preparing for a year for the BSc (Nursing) Examination based on the syllabus prescribed in the said course, and suddenly an advertisement was issued by the respondents laying the condition that the candidate had to clear NEET-UG.