Supreme Court quashes common entrance exam for admission in medical colleges

The Supreme Court quashes common entrance eligibility test for admission in medical colleges.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The ambiguity over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) ended on Thursday when the Supreme Court quashed the validity of the common entrance exam both for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses in government and private institutions. In a majority judgment, Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice Vikramajit Sen held that it was beyond the powers of the Medical Council of India to make such an arrangement of common entrance test both for government and private institutions. However, in a dissenting judgment, Justice Anil R Dave dismissed the petitions by private medical and dental colleges challenging the MCI notification providing for common NEET for both undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses. The medical education standoff started with MCI`s decision to conduct the first-ever common entrance examination, the NEET, for admission to MBBS and post-graduate courses in medicine as well as dental courses. The proposal was, however, opposed by the private medical and dental colleges and they moved the apex court. In an interim order, the SC had directed the MCI and all private colleges to start their admission process, as per the old guidelines where the MCI, state governments and private colleges conduct their separate exams. A large section of aspiring medicos did back NEET, arguing that NEET will make the admission process simpler and more transparent. (With Agency inputs)