Common entrance test for medical colleges invalid, says Supreme Court

The Union Health Ministry has sought legal opinion on whether it can file a review petition on the Supreme Court order quashing a common entrance test for admission to under-graduate and post-graduate courses in medical and dental colleges. Top health ministry officials were in a huddle last evening to discuss the ramifications of the Supreme Court order. Over seven lakh students took the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) this year for under-graduate courses conducted by the CBSE on behalf of the Medical Council of India (MCI). Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that the NEET cannot continue because the MCI is not empowered to hold it. So private medical and dental universities and colleges will now have the right to conduct their own entrance exams. Critics point out that in many of these institutions, admissions are sold instead of being based on merit. Without a common entrance exam, they argue, the colleges will have a free run to sell seats. "MBBS seats are sold upto 40 to 60 lakh...post-graduate seats are sold for upto two crore rupees and this will get worse," said Dr Ravindranath who belongs to an organisation called Doctors for Social Equality, which is committed to eradicate "poverty and suffering" in Tamil Nadu. The managements of private colleges, many of who had fought the common entrance exam, deny malpractices and say they must have the right to determine their own admission processes including exams. Students worry that they will now have to spend much more on traveling to different places for the multiple entrance exams. Aravint Santhosh, who is 18 and studying in Chennai, said that students will now have to prepare for an array of exams for Delhi's famous AIIMs, the Armed Forces College, and others. The three judges who heard the case included Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, who was judging his last case. He was one of two judges who said that the council is not empowered to conduct the exam. One disagreed. "Holding of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) is legal, practical and is the need of the society. Hence, I have dissented," Justice Anil R Dave said. The judges made it clear that the verdict will not affect the admissions which have already taken place.