Governor returns TN’s anti-NEET bill

 Governor returns TN’s anti-NEET bill

Parties To Meet On Saturday To Mull Next Steps

---

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.02.2022

Chennai: Asserting that the anti-NEET bill passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly was against the interests of students, especially those from rural areas and economically poorer sections, governor R N Ravi returned the bill to Speaker M Appavu.

Chief minister M K Stalin, however, said the governor’s remarks were unacceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu. He announced a meeting of all legislature parties on Saturday to decide the next course of action.

An official release from Raj Bhavan said the governor took the decision after a detailed study of the Bill for admission to UG medical courses seeking exemption from NEET, and the report of the high-level committee constituted by the state in this regard, which was the basis for the bill and examined the preNEET status of social justice in medical admission especially for students coming from socially and economically poor background.

“The governor returned the bill to the speaker, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on February1, 2022, giving detailed reasons for its reconsideration by the House,” the release said.

The governor was of the opinion that the bill was against the interests of stu- dents, especially the rural and economically poor students of the state. The Supreme Court in the Christian Medical College, Vellore Association Vs Union of India case (2020) had comprehensively examined the issue, particularly from the social justice perspective, and upheld NEET, as it prevented economic exploitation of poor students and is in furtherance of social justice, the release said.

In a statement, the chief minister said,“The government will make every effort to examine the views expressed by the governor and clarify the factual position and pass the Bill again. ”