President has rejected TN govt’s bills to exclude state from NEET: Centre to Madras HC

The Union Ministry has informed the Madras High Court that the two bills sent by the Tamil Nadu government to exclude the state from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) have been rejected by the President.

This notice comes two years after the state government sent two bills - Tamil Nadu Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses Bill, 2017 and the Tamil Nadu Admission to Post Graduate Courses in Medicine and Dentistry - to the President of India seeking to exclude the state from the NEET for admission to MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) and postgraduate courses.

A division bench, comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad, had sought a clarification on whether the bills were withheld or rejected. The Bench was hearing a plea in the matter on Friday when the counsel for the Union government stated thus.

The submissions were made based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Tamil Nadu Students Parents Welfare Association, represented by PB Prince Gajendra Babu and U Mustaffa. The petitioners were seeking direction to the state government to complete the procedures for obtaining the presidential assent for the bills on or before August 15, 2017.

According to a report in the New Indian Express, the Bench has now directed the Home Ministry to file an affidavit by July 16, along with details of receipt of the bills and the date of rejection, as submitted by counsel of the Union government.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin on Saturday demanded Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami move a motion condemning the Central government for rejecting the two legislations passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly for exempting the state from the common entrance exam for medical admissions.

Stalin took to Twitter to criticise the state government for remaining silent on the Central government's decision to reject the bills passed in the Assembly.

#NEET லிருந்து விலக்கு கோரிய தமிழக சட்டமன்றத்தின் தீர்மானத்தை நிராகரித்துவிட்டதாக உயர்நீதிமன்றத்தில் கூறியிருக்கிறது பா.ஜ.க அரசு

இதுவரையிலும் நீட் குறித்து கள்ள மெளனம் காத்த தமிழக அரசு உடனடியாக மத்திய அரசைக் கண்டித்து தீர்மானம் இயற்றி நீட் விலக்கு பெற போராட வேண்டும். pic.twitter.com/0fDezNTn8x

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 6, 2019