KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The Supreme Court Thursday heard the pleas of Jammu and Kashmir and other states on National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses. The case will be taken up again tomorrow for judgement.
The SC bench heard the arguments today pleaded by the advocates that represented the state.
Senior advocates including former Attorney General of India Gopal Subramanium, former Additional Solicitor General K Vishwanathan, appeared for the State apart from Advocate General D C Raina. Commissioner Secretary Law Muhammad Ashraf Mir and BOPEE chairman GH Tantray are also putting up with the law team.
Official sources told KNS that Jammu and Kashmir concluded its arguments today.
“One positive that emerged during the course of hearing was that the Supreme Court Bench observed that the State subject law will be respected and only permanent residents of the state shall be eligible for admission in Medical Courses in J&K,” the sources said.
“Also, the reservations shall be as per the State Reservation Act and Women would continue to get 50% reservation as provided under State Act besides reservation for other reserved categories. MCI also agreed that nobody from outside the state can get admission in J&K and only state subjects would be eligible for admission to different professional courses in the State,” the sources said.
Almost all the States opposed the NEET and all top advocates of India appeared today for the State which are opposing NEET. They included Soli Sorabji, R. Venogopal, Tushar Mehta, Nageshwar Rao, Prashant Bhushan, Dr Rajive Dhawan, Gopal Subramanium, K Vishwanathan, V Giri, Shyam Deewan and Ranjit Kumar, solicitor General of India.
J&K had on Monday filed application in the Supreme Court seeking exemption of the state’s aspirants from National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses. The state government is invoking Articles 370 and 35 (A) to plead the case.
NEET has put the state government in a fix and confused aspirants for medical courses. The test will be held after the ruling of the Supreme Court to hold a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses across the country.
For the state, Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) was conducting entrance tests for all the medical courses for the students, and the tests were usually held in the mid-summer months.
