The petition that sought the quashing of the ordinance questioned the Centre’s flip-flop on the issue. The Centre had initially accepted the apex court’s order and later partially reversed it through the ordinance. Photo: Mint
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench presided by justice Anil R. Dave will hear on 7 July a legal challenge to an ordinance, which pushed back holding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) by a year.
A bench headed by chief justice of India, T.S. Thakur Monday said the matter will be heard by a bench presided by justice Anil R. Dave, which had previously passed an order deferring the examination.
The court was hearing a plea brought by health activist Anand Rai, known for exposing the Vyapam scam—an admission and recruitment scandal in Madhya Pradesh—against the Centre’s decision to promulgate the ordinance.
The petition that sought the quashing of the ordinance questioned the Centre’s flip-flop on the issue. The Centre had initially accepted the apex court’s order and later partially reversed it through the ordinance.
The Centre’s decision was in violation of Section 14 (right to equality) and Section 21 (right to life) in terms of its arbitrary character and with regards to the students who would suffer irreparably because of the constantly changing stand by the Centre, the petition stated.
The petitioner said various associations across the country have to be treated with equality under law and administrative authority should be exercised to assure a degree of fair decision-making. The Centre had given an undertaking and fulfilled criteria for a unified NEET, and yet within four weeks, it passed the ordinance, the petition said, calling the ordinance “arbitrary”.
This would go on to show mala fide and ill intent towards the admission of students who will ultimately suffer because of this see-saw approach by the centre,” the petition stated.
The matter will be taken up for hearing on 7 July.
[“Source-Livemint”]
