Chennai: Expressing shock over the fact that only negligible candidates have got medical admission without undergoing coaching, the Madras high court has said that means medical education is not available to the poor people and it is available only those who underwent coaching classes for Neet by spending lakhs and lakhs of rupees.
A division bench comprising Justices N.Kirubakaran and P.Velmurugan said, “Moreover, this will also put the rural students in a disadvantageous position, as they lack facilities of undergoing coaching. It should also be taken note of by the Central Government, which brought the Rules and Regulations or amendment for conducting Neet.”
The bench was passing further interim orders on an appeal filed by S.Dheeran, an aspiring medical students, which sought to set aside an order of a single judge, dismissing his petition, challenging the selection process for the 207 seats that got reverted to the management quota owing to not getting filled up under the NRI quota.
The bench said with regard to the query raised by this court regarding the number of students who got admission without undergoing coaching classes, the government submitted a reply that only 48 students have got medical seats without undergoing any coaching classes, whereas 3,033 students who underwent coaching classes have been admitted in the government colleges. Similarly, self financing colleges were concerned, only 52 students have got medical seats without undergoing any coaching classes, whereas 1,598 students have got medical seats after undergoing coaching classes, the bench added.
The bench said with regard to the query about the students who attended NEET examination for the first time and got admission, it was submitted that in the government colleges it was only 1,040, whereas the number of candidates who appeared multiple times and got admission were 2,041. Similarly, self financing colleges were concerned, only 588 students have got admission in their first attempt itself, whereas the number of students, who have got admission, in more than one attempt, was 1,062. “The first timers have to prepare for the plus two examination as well as for the Neet simultaneously, whereas the students who had already completed their plus two examination could fairly devote their time for preparing exclusively for the Neet. The unequals have been treated equally in the NEET examination and the results would speak for themselves. This fact should also be taken note of by the central government, the bench added.
The bench said G.Nagarajan, standing counsel appearing on behalf of National Testing Agency submitted that today all the finger prints of 6,976 students belonging to the government and private medical colleges and 1,250 students belonging to 7 Deemed Universities have been handed over to the CBCID officials. Additional advocate general P.H.Arvindh Pandian submitted that in the next date of hearing he will come out with the mechanism by which the finger prints will be verified and report will be filed, the bench added.
The bench directed the Central Government and Medical Council of India to verify as to whether they have received any complaint or whether any malpractice has been done for getting medical seats in other states.
K.Srinivasan, counsel for CBI undertakes to verify as to whether CBI has got any complaint with regard to impersonation or other malpractices in the Neet to get admission in the medical colleges in other states, the bench added and posted to November 7, further hearing of the case.
