Single Entrance Exam for MBBS, BDS Courses to be Held as per Schedule

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses through National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) will go on as per the schedule. The apex court said that the bench will not be hearing any pleas on Friday for a relook on its order of holding NEET in two phases.

The matter will be heard in due course after the parties file applications seeking modification of its order.

Earlier, the Centre had moved SC raising objections against the order passed by the apex court on Thursday which cleared the decks for holding NEET, a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses. The plea, seeking modification in the order, was mentioned by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi before a bench of Justices AR Dave and AK Goel.

The AG had suggested that the order passed by the apex court on Thursday had allowed holding of a two-phased NEET on May 1 and July 24 but there appeared to be some genuine difficulties and there is a need for change in the order.

He had suggested that the first phase of NEET scheduled for May 1 should be scrapped and all the aspirants should be allowed to take the exams on July 24. Rohatgi had further argued that the order propelled confusion and so a modification was required.

The apex court had on Thursday cleared the decks for the holding of NEET for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, in two phases for the academic year 2016-17. Around 6.5 lakh candidates are likely to appear for the exam.

It had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and the Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1.

It had said those who had not applied for AIPMT will be given the opportunity to appear in NEET-II on July 24 and the combined result would be declared on August 17 so that the admission process can be completed by September 30.

The order implied that all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would be covered under NEET and those examinations which have already taken place or slated to be conducted separately stand scrapped.

The apex court order had also revived the government's Decemeber 21, 2010 notification for holding a single common entrance test through NEET with a clarification that any challenge on the issue would directly come before it and no high court can interfere in it.