Kerala assures protection to CET examinees

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The Left Front government of Kerala today assured the Supreme Court that all necessary protection shall be given by the state to those appearing in Common Entrance Test (CET) for admissions to private medical colleges in MBBS courses due to be held on August 5, 2007.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agarwal and P P Naolekar adjourned the hearing till August 7 after recording the statement of the counsel for Kerala.

Counsel for Kerala assured the apex court that CET to be conducted by Kerala Private Medical College Association to be held at Cochin Kendriya Vidyalaya and Kendriya Vidyalaya Erunakulam shall not be allowed to be disturbed this time.

Earlier the Association had moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre for providing central forces for trouble free entrance test as the state was not providing security to the examinees against the hooliganism of left wing student organisations like SFI and AISF who forced on June 23 about 3,000 candidates and their parents to leave the examination venue without taking the entrance test.

Senior counsel for the Association Ruington Nariman contended that it was a state sponsored terrorism. The apex court had pulled up Kerala government asking them "What type of state are you? You cannot provide security to candidates appearing in a test." There has been a long standing dispute between Kerala government and the private medical colleges in the state as the government want the seats in private medical colleges to be filled up from the merit list prepared by it on the basis of CET conducted by the government while private colleges are opposed to it. Private medical colleges want to fill up the seats from merit list drawn by them.

The sate has been pleading that the Kerala Professional Colleges (Prohibition of Capitation Fee, Regulation ofAdmission, Fixation of Non Exploitative Fee, and Other Measures to Ensure Equity and Excellence in Professional Education) Bill, 2006 was enacted to curb the practice of charging exorbitant capitation fees by the private medical colleges by fleecing the parents.

The private colleges are, however, pleading that it was an attempt by the government to take over the entire admission process in the state denying the private colleges even the right to fill up the seats falling in their quota.

UNI