Governor of Tamil Nadu Returned The Bill Against NEET

Governor R N Ravi returned the anti-NEET bill to Speaker M Appavu, claiming that it was against the interests of students, particularly those from rural areas and economically disadvantaged groups. The governor's words, on the other hand, were deemed inappropriate by Tamil Nadu's chief minister, M K Stalin. On Saturday, he announced a meeting of all legislative parties to determine the following course of initiative.

The governor made the decision after a thorough examination of the Bill for admission to UG medical courses seeking exemption from NEET, as well as the report of the high-level committee comprised by the state in this context, that served as the basis for the bill and analysed the pre-NEET status of social justice in medical admission, particularly for students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to the statement, on February 1, 2022, the governor returned the bill to the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, stating comprehensive explanations for its reconsideration by the House. It further added that the governor believed that the bill was detrimental to pupils, particularly those from rural and low-income areas of the state. The Supreme Court in the Christian Medical College, Vellore Association Vs Union of India case (2020) thoroughly analysed the issue, particularly from the viewpoint of social justice, and upheld NEET because it prevents economic exploitation of poor students and promotes social justice.

The chief minister stated in a statement that that administration will make utmost effort to consider the opinions stated by the governor, explain the factual position, and pass the Bill again. He said that there was unshakable unanimity among Tamil Nadu residents, political parties, and social intellectuals that the NEET exam discriminated against impoverished rural students and favoured urban students who had access to training classes, and that medical admission based on NEET was unjust.

He added that the state formed a committee led by retired judge Justice A K Rajan to evaluate the impact of NEET and make recommendations on alternate admission processes in this context.