NEET 2017: SC Asks Centre To Include Urdu From 2018-19 Onwards
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today directed the Centre government to include Urdu as a language in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), the common test for admission into medical courses across the country, from next academic session onwards. SC's direction came in a case filed by Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO).
A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra, A M Khanwilkar and M M Shantanagoudar told the petitioner, who has sought a direction for making Urdu as a medium for NEET 2017 exam scheduled on May 7, that it would not be possible for the government to include Urdu this session.
"We direct the Union of India to include Urdu as a language in NEET examination from academic session 2018-19 onwards," the bench said.
According to various notifications published by CBSE, NEET is being conducted in ten languages this - Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese, Telegu, Tamil and Kannada.
The Supreme Court on March first week had directed Union Government, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Medical Council of India (MCI) and Dental Council of India (DCI) to respond to a plea asking to include Urdu as one of the languages in which National NEET is to be conducted.
The solicitor general had on March 31 told the Supreme Court that SIO, the students' body seeking NEET examination in Urdu language has accused the Centre government of being communal.
The submission was made while referring to the affidavit filed by SIO through its national secretary Thouseef Ahamad.
"As the language is associated with Muslim, the government functionaries are prejudiced and biased and have deliberately excluded the Urdu language as medium for the NEET exams," the affidavit said.
SC asked to take back the statement against government as "Selective Discrimination" but Ravinder S Garia, advocate on behalf of SIO argued and said it's a selective discrimination with Urdu language and refused to withdraw the affidavit, said a press release from SIO.
(With Inputs from PTI)
A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra, A M Khanwilkar and M M Shantanagoudar told the petitioner, who has sought a direction for making Urdu as a medium for NEET 2017 exam scheduled on May 7, that it would not be possible for the government to include Urdu this session.
"We direct the Union of India to include Urdu as a language in NEET examination from academic session 2018-19 onwards," the bench said.
According to various notifications published by CBSE, NEET is being conducted in ten languages this - Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese, Telegu, Tamil and Kannada.
The Supreme Court on March first week had directed Union Government, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Medical Council of India (MCI) and Dental Council of India (DCI) to respond to a plea asking to include Urdu as one of the languages in which National NEET is to be conducted.
The solicitor general had on March 31 told the Supreme Court that SIO, the students' body seeking NEET examination in Urdu language has accused the Centre government of being communal.
The submission was made while referring to the affidavit filed by SIO through its national secretary Thouseef Ahamad.
"As the language is associated with Muslim, the government functionaries are prejudiced and biased and have deliberately excluded the Urdu language as medium for the NEET exams," the affidavit said.
SC asked to take back the statement against government as "Selective Discrimination" but Ravinder S Garia, advocate on behalf of SIO argued and said it's a selective discrimination with Urdu language and refused to withdraw the affidavit, said a press release from SIO.
(With Inputs from PTI)
