As NEET Candidates From TN Travel To Far-Off Centres, SC Asks CBSE To Ensure Minimum Inconvenience In Future [Read Order]

While staying the Madras High Court order by which the CBSE was asked to set up additional examination centres in Tamil Nadu for this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for the sake of students allotted centres as far as Rajasthan and Kerala, the Supreme Court has directed the Board to ensure minimum inconvenience is caused to students in future.

A bench of Justice SA Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao stayed the April 27 order of the Madras High Court by which CBSE was asked to set up more examination centres in Tamil Nadu as many candidates from the state had been allotted centres in Rajasthan, Kerala and other far-away places.

The CBSE had moved the Supreme Court in appeal.

“Having heard learned counsel for the parties, we find that it will cause great hardship if the impugned order of the High Court dated, 27.04.2018 is implemented qua this year, i.e., 2018–2019.

“However, the petitioner shall take care to ensure that minimum inconvenience is caused to the students in the succeeding years, particularly, in relation to the State of Tamil Nadu,” the apex court said in its order while disposing of the appeal filed by the Board.

The apex court’s decision comes as a major setback to NEET candidates from Tamil Nadu.

The exam is scheduled for Sunday, May 6.

It is to be noted that the Madras High Court had on a petition moved by S Kalimuthu Mylavan ordered that “[i]n respect of candidates who have been allotted examination centres in Kerala/Rajasthan or other far-away places in other States, as per the discretion vested with the first respondent as per Clause 4(g) of Chapter 2 of the Information Bulletin, the same has to be exercised by the first respondent in a reasonable manner to allot examination centres for those candidates, to write their examinations nearby to their place of residence, or the adjacent Districts or at least within the State of Tamil Nadu, at the earliest”.