NEET row set to rock Parliament session

New Delhi, June 16

With Opposition leaders demanding a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, the issue is all set to rock the Parliament session, which begins from June 24. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday urged all parties to raise the matter strongly in the upcoming session. He demanded a probe by Supreme Court-appointed officials into the allegations.

Earlier, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi also said they would raise the issues pertaining to NEET-UG examination in Parliament. Speaking to the PTI, Sibal said he would raise the issue in Parliament if given a chance. “I do urge all political parties to raise this issue in Parliament because it impacts the lives of young people of the country. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has really bungled and corruption has been brought to light on media platforms, such as providing solutions for question papers for something like becoming a doctor,” he said.

Sibal pointed out that the NEET regulation was introduced in 2010 by the Medical Council of India (MCI) which was under the Ministry of Health. “The MCI Board of Governors introduced a regulation, saying there should be a national eligibility test for students getting admitted to MBBS courses. The regulation was challenged by writ petitioners and it was struck down by the Supreme Court on July 18, 2013, saying the MCI has no legislative competence to introduce NEET which is an all-India eligibility entrance test,” he said.

In 2014, a review petition was filed. The SC allowed the review and the July 2013 order was withdrawn. “The BJP government came to power and on April 28, 2016, a writ petition was filed in the SC, saying since the order striking down the NEET regulation has been withdrawn, why isn’t the regulation issued by MCI under board of governors not being implemented? Thereafter, on August 4, 2016, the then BJP government introduced Section 10D and the Indian Medical Council Act was amended,” Sibal said.

“On August 8, 2019, the National Medical Council Act was passed replacing the Indian Medical Council Act of 1956. It contained another section 14 which provided for the NEET examination. On October 29, 2020, the SC upheld this legislation,” he added.

Talking about the way forward, Sibal said a CBI inquiry would protect the administration… an inquiry is needed through an independent agency or independent officers selected by the SC and not by the government in power.

(With agency inputs)