SC wants NEET, the common medical admission test, to be implemented from this session itself

Like every year, lakhs of Indian students are preparing for medical entrance examinations conducted separately by state governments and private colleges. However, they would be breathing a sigh of relief because the Supreme Court of India has ruled that multiple tests should be replaced with the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) from this very session (2016-17).

The decision has come just a few days before the test season starts from May 1, when CBSE conducts the All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Entrance Test. This is to be followed by Maharashtra CET on May 5, after which private medical colleges of Karnataka will conduct a test on May 8. Apart from these, five more entrance tests are scheduled for the next month.

The test in question, NEET, had been declared illegal and unconstitutional by SC in 2013, but was restored on April 11.

Even after the revival when the authorities failed to implement it, NGO Sankalp Charitable Trust approached the SC for enforcing the mechanism for a common test for admission in MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all colleges.

"A student seeking admission in a medical college has to shell out lakhs of rupees in taking an examination and most of the tests are not conducted in a fair manner. There is no impediment in way of implementing NEET after the Constitution bench verdict and the Centre should be directed to enforce the order in association with MCI and CBSE," Advocate Amit Kumar, appearing for the petitioner NGO Sankalp Charitable Trust, told the bench. This prompted the bench to rule that NEET must be implemented from the coming academic session itself.

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