NEET 2017: Madras HC quashes govt order reserving 85 per cent MBBS seats

The Tamil Nadu government had reserved seats for state board students

The Madras High court on Friday quashed the Tamil Nadu government's order reserving 85 percent seats in medical course admissions for state board students. The court held that the government was meting out 'step motherly' treatment for CBSE students by reserving 85 percent seats for state board students.

In what came as good news for CBSE students, the court quashed a government order that allowed 85 percent quota to state board students and 15 percent seat allotment to students of other boards in admissions to medical courses. The move was opposed by a group of CBSE students who deemed the order unfair.

Justice K Ravichandrababu quashed the order and held that Tamil Nadu was "left with no other option except to accept and make the selection only in accordance with the merits of the marks obtained in NEET examination and not otherwise."

Upholding that NEET was the only qualifying examination irrespective of the fact whether the student is from State Board or Central Board, the court said that the government was not entitled to make any differentiation by reserving seats.

"Once they take the NEET, all students are to be treated equal and the government is not justified in projecting their case as though they are creating a level playing field among the unequal," the court held.

While passing the government order, the Tamil Nadu government had held that since NEET was based on CBSE syllabus, state board students were at a disadvantage. The state claimed that the reservation was to create a level playing field for state board students who had to bear the brunt of NEET from CBSE syllabus. Unwilling to consider this justification, the court said that it was the state government's responsibility to make syllabus available for the students across boards and not use the same to differentiate.

Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijaya Bhaskar, however, maintained that his government would challenge the order in the Supreme Court.

OneIndia News