The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a petition challenging its 2013 order quashing the National Eligibility Entrance Test for medical courses. A constitutional bench of the apex court said it will hear the case afresh, and the common entrance test can be implemented till it takes a final call on the matter, reported the Times of India.
The NEET is a qualifying entrance test for any student who wants to join a medical (MBBS), dental (BDS) or postgraduate course in a medical college (MS/MD) in India. In 2013, the court had ruled that the Medical Council of India was “not empowered to actually conduct the NEET”. In its verdict, the court had said the MCI cannot force private medical colleges to conduct the test.
Late in 2015, the Union Health Ministry had also approved the MCI’s recommendation for an amendment to the Indian Medical Council Act, which would allow it to conduct the common entrance test, The Indian Express reported. The MCI currently acts as a medical education regulator and only examines medical curricula, while government and private colleges can conduct their own admission procedures.
The NEET was held for postgraduate courses in December 2012 and for undergraduates in May 2013. In July 2013, the Supreme Court heard a series of petitions filed by state governments, minority and private institutions challenging the common entrance test.
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