THE National Eligibility Entrance Examination (NEET) — a centralised entrance for the MBBS, BDS and PG medical courses has created a stir in states where large sections follow the State Board syllabi for the Higher Secondary Course. In the last week of May this year President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Ordinance brought by the central government following the Supreme Court ruling, which called for holding NEET from this year itself. The passing of this Ordinance means that the Supreme Court ruling has been ‘partially overturned’ and state governments will now have a year to prepare for the NEET examinations, which will be held from the 2017-18 academic year.
CBSE used to conduct All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) until 2012, when the central government introduced unified test for the medical admissions. These tests were scheduled to take place from 2012 onwards, but had to be deferred by one year due to opposition from various states and private colleges. More than 80 cases opposing the NEET were filed by February 2013 (two by state governments and rest by the private and minority institutions). While the private institutions were concerned about the ‘loss of control over admissions’, minority institutions were worried about the ‘erosion of the minority character’. NEET was held for the first time in May 2013. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court in a verdict on the validity of the NEET examinations held that the ‘MCI and the Dental Council of India lacked the legal authority to control admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses across the country’.
A review petition challenging this judgment was filed by the MCI on October 23, 2013. On April 11, 2016, the constitution bench of the Supreme Court recalled the 2013 judgment, which had raised questions over the legal standing of the MCI and the DCI in conducting such exams. The apex court order also revived government’s December 21, 2010 notification for holding a single common entrance test through NEET with a clarification that any challenge on the issue would directly come before it and no high court can interfere in it. On April 28, 2016 the Supreme Court paved the way for holding of NEET in two phases for the academic year 2016-17 with May 1 AIPMT exam to be considered NEET-1 and NEET-2 for those candidates who have not appeared in the first phase exam.
The Ordinance passed in by the Central Government, however says that NEET examinations can be held only from the next year. It is ironic that Meghalaya has chosen to stick to NEET from this year onwards much to the discomfiture of students from the State Board who are not familiar with the CBSE syllabi.