NEET 2017: Madras HC orders CBSE to hold off on publishing results

Chennai: The Madras High Court granted an interim stay on the publication of results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test 2017 (NEET 2017) for admission to MBBS (bachelor of medicine & bachelor of surgery) and BDS ((bachelor of dental surgery) courses for the academic year 2017 across the country.

Hearing a batch of petitions filed by some students, justice M.V. Muralidharan of the court’s Madurai bench also directed officials of the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) director and the Union health ministry to file their counter affidavits on 7 June.

The petitioners alleged that uniform question papers were not given and there was a vast difference between the English and Tamil question papers. They demanded that the NEET examination be cancelled and a fresh test with uniform question papers be conducted.

They claimed that the NEET was not conducted in a uniform manner across the country and that different sets of question papers had been used in different places, though a uniform syllabus had been announced. They also submitted that officials had not informed them that different set of question papers would be circulated.

In Tamil Nadu, a different set of questions was given to those who opted for English and Tamil, they said, adding that the one in Tamil was easier. “One India, one question paper in the NEET is a must. Otherwise the scaling of intelligence and aptitude would differ. Hence, the NEET examination should be cancelled and fresh examination with uniform question papers be conducted,” the petitioners submitted.