April 28, 2016
NEW DELHI: The common, single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for
admission to all private and Government medical colleges in the country will be
held in two phases, on May 1 and July 4, for the academic year 2016-'17. The
Centre, CBSE and the MCI on Thursday presented the schedule in the Supreme
Court as directed by the court on Wednesday. The Government was keen to begin
the scheme from this year itself and hence the urgency.
The apex court directed the Centre and the CBSE to go ahead and conduct a two-
phase single common NEET entrance test for the MBBS and BDS. The apex court
said the AIPMT, which is to take place on May 1, will be considered as first phase
of the NEET. The second phase would be conducted on July 24, the apex court
said.
There are two phases this year because the CBSE had already made arrangements
for their usual 15% seats annual test on May 1 which they do not want to cancel.
Therefore, the rest of students can sit in a later session scheduled for them on
July 24. Both results will be combined and ranked and the results will be out by
August end. As per the prevailing orders, the admissions can continue even up to
September 30 of a year.
The bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir had in 2013
set aside the new NEET plan and allowed private medical colleges and State
Government colleges to hold their own entrance tests as earlier. Now, recently, on
a fresh petition to revive the single test proposal, a new bench cancelled the 2013
decision against the common test, paving the way for a single test throughout the
country. And in the last few days, the Government was engaged in the process of
starting the new scheme from the current year itself for which the Government
was keen and prepared.
"The Supreme Court very categorically paved the way for NEET examination to
take place. NEET itself has been a major move of the Government to put into
place a uniform medical examination system which puts everybody at the same
level and informs uniformity and informs that all the corruption from the system is
removed," advocate Pinky Anand told ANI.
"The Government was still debating on how to put into NEET and in what
phases...The Supreme Court had ultimately asked for a schedule. The
Government, the CBSE and the MCI sat together in a joint meeting and decided
how this could be done and we had placed before the court the schedule that was
possible, and particularly the fact that there was requirement of two phases of
NEET," she added.
The Supreme Court had on Wednesday said that multiple tests must give way to
the single, national NEET from the current 2016-17 session itself. The Government
had agreed to prepare the schedule for the year and present it in the court on
Thursday itself.
There over 400 medical colleges in the coutry. Lakhs of students appear in
hundreds of medical entrance examinations conducted by private medical colleges
and the Central and State Governments. Over 50,000 seats are available for the
MBBS course.
The present petition was filed by the Sankalp Charitable Trust for a direction to
hold a single National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for academic year
2016-17 for admission to MBBS, BDS and other courses. In fact they wanted the
apex court to stay the usual exam to be held for 15% seats by the CBSE on May
1.
The case was heard and an agreement was reached on Wednesday and the
schedule of exam for the current year in view of the already fixed date of May 1,
was to be decided on Thursday. The court had directed to place the fresh schedule
for holding of common entrance exam before the court on Thursday.
