CHENNAI: The State government has objected to the BJP’s plea in the Madras High Court against the constitution of a NEET committee and termed the plea “an attempt to throttle the spirit of democracy”. BJP’s K Nagarajan had moved a PIL seeking the court to quash a State government order, dated June 10, for constituting a committee headed by Justice AK Rajan to study the impact of NEET.
The government recorded its submissions in a counter affidavit. “The contention that a sovereign State cannot even attempt to study the consequences of an existing law or examine issues raised by students from rural areas and from poor socioeconomic background, is Constitutionally incorrect,” it said.
The petitioner had earlier claimed that any recommendation made by the committee cannot be implemented in view of the orders passed by the Supreme Court on NEET, as it would be violative of that judgement. Denying the allegation, the counter filed by advocate-general R Shunmugasundaram contended that the petitioner has presumed the outcome of the report and the government’s actions.
“This is entirely hypothetical and is nothing but conjecture. The committee only gives a platform to the stakeholders to voice their concerns, which will be in turn submitted to the government as a report,” the State said.
Being a welfare state, the grievances of the students, parents and stakeholders on the impact of NEET have to be heard, which is one of the sovereign functions of the government, the counter asserted. “Moreover, the issue in the present plea is only the constitution of the committee and not the legislative power of the State to enact laws on subjects in concurrent list of the Constitution.
The government will have to study the report and then only decide the further course of action,” it added. The plea is scheduled to be taken up for hearing on Monday. Meanwhile, a slew of political parties and organisations in the State have moved the High Court seeking to implead them in the PIL, as they wished to oppose the BJP’s challenge.