‘Returned Tamil Nadu bills on NEET in 2017’: Centre tells Madras High Court

Source: newindianexpress.com

CHENNAI : The Central government submitted before the Madras High Court on Tuesday that it ‘returned’ the bills from Tamil Nadu seeking exemption from NEET-based medical admission in September 2017 itself.

While so far it was believed that the bills sent by Tamil Nadu were pending for President’s approval, earlier this month the Central government informed the High Court that they were indeed ‘rejected’.

On Tuesday, an affidavit filed by Raju S Vaidya, deputy secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the bills were ‘returned’ to Tamil Nadu government on September 22, 2017 itself after the Presidential nod for the bills was denied.

After much public opposition, the two bills seeking exemption to Tamil Nadu from National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for medical admissions were passed unamimously in the State Assembly in February 2017.

It was believed since then that the Presidential consent for the bills was merely ‘withheld’ and there were much demand urging the Central government to expedite the process.

However, when a public interest litigation seeking that the process be expedited,  counsel for the Central government informed the High Court on July 5 that the bill sent by Tamil Nadu government were denied Presidential assent and were ‘rejected’.

Following this submission, a division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad directed the secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, to file an affidavit setting out the details of the receipt of the bills, in particular the date of rejection, and posted the matter for further hearing on July 16 (Tuesday). But the matter did not reach on Tuesday.

However, Raju S Vaidya, in his counter-affidavit stated that the two Bills were received by the Ministry on February 20, 2017. They were circulated to the Ministry of Law and Justice (Registration department and department of Justice), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of Health and Family Welfare and Department of Health Research) and Ministry of Home Affairs on the date of receipt itself, i.e. on February 20, 2017.

Both the Bills were placed before the President for his consideration in the form of a summary signed by the Union Home Minister on September 11, 2017. However, the President withheld his assent for the Bills on September 18, 2017. Both the Bills were returned to the Tamil Nadu government on September 22, 2017, the affidavit added.