The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination, or NEET.
The DMK government has argued that the exam violates the principle of federalism as it takes away the power of states to admit students to medical colleges.
NEET is a requisite for admission to undergraduate medical courses in India.
“Education is a subject that is within the competence of the state to make laws on, and the states have the right to control education for state universities,” read the plea.
It said: “The introduction of NEET for admission to all medical colleges, irrespective of whether they are private or state government or Central government colleges, is in violation of the federal structure and the autonomy of the states to make decisions regarding education.”
Tamil Nadu has been opposing the NEET examination on the grounds that a common entrance test harms the prospects of state board students. NEET is based on the Central Board of Secondary Education syllabus, which is different from the state boards’ academic curriculums.
The plea has been filed under Article 131 of the Constitution which empowers the Supreme Court to hear disputes between the Union and one or more states.
