New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday today refused to entertain a plea against a Tamil Nadu government order reserving 85% seats in MBBS and BDS courses for the state board students and only 15% for those of other boards, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud asked the petitioner, father of a medical aspirant, to approach the Madras High Court which is already hearing pleas against the state government order.
The apex court asked petitioner R Nakkiran, represented by senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram, to withdraw the plea and either file a fresh one or intervene in the pending matter before the Madras High Court.
“We request the High Court to expedite the hearing in the case,” the bench said, adding that the matter was very urgent as counselling for the admissions was about to begin.
CBSE conducts National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and BDS courses across the country in which 85% seats are reserved for domiciles of states where medical colleges are located and the remaining seats go to students from other states.
The Tamil Nadu government, however, passed an order on June 22 saying that 85% seats in MBBS and BDS courses would be allocated to those who have passed their Class 12 examination conducted by the state board and only 15% seats would be given to those who cleared the test from other boards, including CBSE.
{{/usCountry}}The Tamil Nadu government, however, passed an order on June 22 saying that 85% seats in MBBS and BDS courses would be allocated to those who have passed their Class 12 examination conducted by the state board and only 15% seats would be given to those who cleared the test from other boards, including CBSE.
{{/usCountry}}Chidambaram submitted that the matter needed urgent hearing as the counselling began from Friday and the government order had created a lot of problems to students who had passed Class12 examination from other boards.
Earlier, the High Court had issued notices to the health and family welfare department’s secretary, medical education’s additional director, the selection committee’s secretary and the Medical Council of India on a separate plea challenging the government order.
The high court, however, had declined to grant any interim stay on the government’s order on the plea filed by one Darnish Kumar and two others.
The petitioners had submitted that the apex court had clearly stated that when admission was based on entrance examination National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) it should make no difference whether the qualifying examination was conducted by the state board or CBSE because no discrimination can be made between the schools affiliated to both the boards.
They had also stated that once a common merit list was prepared for the purpose of grant of admission to MBBS and BDS courses based on NEET results, the only permissible reservation was in favour of students who had studied in schools located within Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, it was impermissible for distribution of seats on the basis of the school board and therefore such segregation of seats would amount to discrimination among students, they had said.