CHENNAI: WHY the rejection of the two Bills relating to NEET by the President of India, as early as in 2017, was not informed either to the people or to the High Court? Why no action to re-submit the Bills was taken, despite a provision available in the Rules?
These were part of the questions raised by a division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad when the PIL petition from the TN Students-Parents Welfare Association, represented by P B Prince Gajendra Babu and U Mustaffa, praying for a direction to the State government to complete the procedures for obtaining the Presidential assent for Bills on or before August 15, 2017, came up for further hearing, on Thursday.
The petitioners’ counsel Viduthalai told the judges that the State and Centre were acting hand-in-glove in this matter. Even after lapse of two years, the State government had not taken any steps to re-submit it and it shows the lack of interest of the government on the issue, he charged.
When the bench pointed out it is not too late and even now the State can pass a resolution in the assembly and forward it to the centre again, the counsel representing the government prayed for time to obtain the views of the government. And the bench adjourned the matter till August 13.
Clarification sought
Madurai: The HC Bench sought clarification from State whether community reservation was followed in the second round of medical counselling. Justice R Suresh Kumar raised the question following a petition filed by Shalini Subhasri of Tirunelveli, alleging that seats which had been earmarked for SC community during the first round of counselling and then carried forward to the second round as unfilled seats, are being treated as general.