Tamil Nadu
The Supreme Court on Friday, September 8, banned protests and agitations against the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). Students and several political parties across Tamil Nadu have been protesting the newly introduced medical entrance test after the suicide of medical aspirant Anitha S.
The court has also asked the Tamil Nadu government to ensure law and order in the state. It has ruled that any agitation against its directive or the exam will be held as contempt of court.
A Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that NEET was upheld as the sole basis for admission to MBBS and BDS courses.
The court was hearing a petition filed against the protests in Tamil Nadu after medical aspirant S Anitha’s suicide. On Thursday, 13 people were arrested for protesting against the exam in Chennai.
Supreme Court issued notice to Tamil Nadu govt for September 15 in the case of death of #Anitha who appealed against NEET in SC
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017Supreme Court said those involved any kind of agitation or stall normal life, appropriate action would be taken against them #NEET #Anitha
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017Anitha, the daughter of a casual labourer, had scored top marks in her plus two under the Tamil Nadu state board. However, she was unable to score high marks in the NEET to secure a medical seat. Her NEET score was a paltry 86 out of 720 marks.
Hailing from a small village called Kuzhumur in Ariyalur, Anitha was unable to comprehend NEET and was unable to spend money on extra coaching class as NEET is based on CBSE syllabus.
She was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her house in Ariyalur district on Friday morning, September 1.
Political leaders including DMK Working President MK Stalin and VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan and actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, among others, had condoled Anitha's death.