Prelims- Polity
1. The SC held that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is mandatory for admission to medical colleges run by religious and linguistic minority communities.
2. It also observed that admissions solely through NEET for graduate and postgraduate medical/dental courses do not violate any fundamental and religious rights of minorities.
3. NEET would apply for both aided and unaided medical colleges administered by minorities.
4. Bringing minority-run medical institutions uniformly under the ambit of NEET was regarded to be a violation of the fundamental right to occupation, trade and business.
5. The colleges also regarded imposing NEET would violate their fundamental rights of religious freedom, to manage their religious affairs, to administer their institutions.
SC observations
1. The rights of trade, business and occupation or religious rights do not come in the way of securing transparency and recognition of merits in the matter of admissions.
2. Regulating academics and imposing reasonable restrictions to ensure educational standards was in the national and public interest.
3. The right to freedom of trade or business is not absolute.
4. It is subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of the students’ community to promote merit, recognition of excellence, and to curb the malpractices.
5. A uniform entrance test qualifies the test of proportionality and is reasonable.
6. NEET is intended to check several maladies that crept into medical education, to prevent capitation fee by admitting students lower in merit and to prevent exploitation, profiteering, and commercialization of education.
7. Uniform entrance exams would ensure improvement in future public health by encouraging merit in furtherance of the Directive Principles enshrined in the Constitution.
Source: The Hindu