However, based on a bunch of petitions, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court stayed all proceedings including evaluation on May 24. Petitioners, mostly students, claimed that CBSE had failed to give uniform question paper for students writing in different languages. A similar petition is also pending before the Gujarat high court.
The CBSE has urged the apex court to hear the matter on an urgent basis as the fate of lakhs of students depend on the results. More than 11.3 lakh student took the NEET examination as it would be sole criterion for admission to medical and dental colleges.
Now, many aspiring medical students have blocked seats in allied health, engineering, agriculture, veterinary sciences and other science courses. “After the results are declared many students will join medicine. But when that happens we won’t be able to fill the seats because the deadline for admission would have lapsed,” said a principal of private arts and sciences college.
In 2012, SC ordered all authorities to follow an admission schedule which includes release of plus two and competitive examination results by June 5 and complete admission by July 30. Academic session for engineering courses begins by August 1 and vacant seat admission should be completed before August 15. “Delay in NEET will exert pressure on the system and create uncertainty in students career options,” said Sastra University dean S Vaidyasubramaniam.