
Letters to The Editor — May 28, 2025
NEET-UG and hardship
The hardship and the trauma that many candidates faced during the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) 2025, mainly because of power breakdowns, needs to be highlighted. It is appalling that they have not been adequately compensated despite many an appeal. That many examination centres did not provide a backup source of power is deeply disturbing. The utter negligence and lack of seriousness on the part of the officials concerned is nothing short of an offence. One waits to see what happens after the Madras High Court directed the NTA to investigate this and respond by June 2.
N. Visveswaran,
Chennai
Tourism development
The Prime Minister's suggestion that every State should develop at least one tourist spot that is on a par with international standards is most welcome. It will lead to development and to unity amidst diversity. However, it should not be forgotten that there must be cultural diversity, which is the need of the hour. The State of Uttar Pradesh, for example, rather than concentrating on Varanasi alone, should develop the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, which, unfortunately, has fallen into a state of neglect and disrepair for a variety of reasons. Similar considerations of diversity of history will attract tourists and make it clear that India is one.
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Won't be able to hold NEET in single shift before Aug 3: NBEMS to SC
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) — which conducts the entrance exam for post-graduate and super-speciality medical courses — told the Supreme Court that it will not be able to conduct the NEET-PG test before August 3. The examination, which was scheduled to take place on June 15, was recently postponed after court's direction to conduct it in a single shift, instead of two like it took place last year. The NBEMS, in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, said that this was the minimum amount of time required for arranging additional centres, invigilators, and support staff. Citing Tata Consultancy Services, its partner in conducting the examination that is computer-based and not pen-and-paper, the NBEMS said it needs to engage more than 1,000 centres across 250 cities for the examination. Nearly 60,000 people will also have to be engaged ranging from venue commanding officers, system operators, invigilators, security staff, lab and registration managers, and electricians. 'NEET PG, being a high stake and flagship exam in the country, attempts to do malpractice is a major challenge to be addressed which will require all law enforcement agencies to come together and join hands,' said NBEMS. Besides this, certain other steps would have to be taken such as giving the students a choice to select centres, it said.

New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Tamil Nadu govt files petition in SC against Madras High Court order on Vice Chancellor appointments
NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court's vacation bench challenging the Madras High Court's May 21, 2025 order that stayed the operation of nine laws passed in 2020 related to the appointment of Vice Chancellors in state universities. The case has gained importance as the parties involved in the disputes did not approach the vacation bench for relief, but after the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court, there are chances the matter will be heard in a day or two. The Supreme Court is currently on summer vacation until July 13, with only limited hearings taking place, and the regular court will reopen on July 14. According to Supreme Court registry sources, the case will be heard soon. 'The matter is very sensitive in nature. So it will come up for hearing in a day or two,' a registry official told TNIE. The petition before the High Court challenged the state laws on how Vice Chancellors of state universities are appointed, saying they violate the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations of 2018. In the SLP, prepared by senior advocate P Wilson, the Tamil Nadu government referred to a 2014 judgment, saying courts should be cautious in passing interim orders in constitutional matters and must respect the strong presumption of constitutionality. It is important to note that these laws were earlier declared valid by the Supreme Court using its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution after it ruled that the Governor's decision to send the bills for the President's approval was illegal. The Tamil Nadu government said the High Court's interim order stayed the provisions that shift the power to appoint Vice Chancellors from the Chancellor (the Governor) to the state government. The government added that the order effectively gave final relief at the interim stage. The state government also pointed out that the petition was filed during court vacations without showing any urgency. The High Court's vacation bench heard the petition from a lawyer linked to a political party, which the Tamil Nadu government said went against the High Court's April 29, 2025, notification that only 'very urgent matters' should be listed during vacations. 'The division bench of the High Court did not give sufficient opportunity to the petitioner—State to file a counter affidavit or respond to the writ petition or even argue before staying nine statutes enacted by the State Legislature which received deemed assent from this court in a landmark judgement titled State of Tamil Nadu Vs Governor of Tamil Nadu,' the government said. The state also accused the High Court of showing 'undue haste' in hearing the interim applications and said the court gave 'extraneous reasons for its findings.' While it is not unusual for vacation courts to sit beyond normal hours for urgent cases, the Tamil Nadu government said there was no reason for the High Court bench to rush the hearing on May 21 without giving the state a proper chance to respond, especially when no action under the laws was expected before June. It also noted a strange incident during the May 21 hearing, when the court's microphone was muted and neither those inside the courtroom nor those attending virtually could hear the order being passed. 'The High Court has given extraneous reasons for its findings such that the Senior Counsel representing the Petitioner was part of the counsel who argued the batch of writ petitions challenging the farm laws,' the Tamil Nadu government said.


The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
‘Power outage in NEET centres did not impact students' performance'
There has been no impact on the performance of NEET candidates due to power outage at three different examination centres in and around Chennai on May 4, 2025, the National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Madras High Court on Tuesday. Appearing before Justice C. Kumarappan who was seized of writ petitions filed by a group of candidates, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) AR. L. Sundaresan said, the NTA had conducted a scientific assessment and found no such impact. He said the examination was conducted in broad daylight, and hence, the power failure did not make much of a difference. Moreover, the students could not have marked the OMR sheet if there had been any impact, he added. Stating that the number of questions answered by the students before the court was compared with the district average, he said, such comparison showed that the students had answered a higher number of questions than the district average. However, the petitioners' counsel wondered how such a defence could be taken by the NTA against the helpless students who had undergone a great deal of anxiety due to power outage, and consequently, could not perform to the best of their abilities. After hearing both sides, the judge directed the High Court Registry to list the matter under the caption 'For Orders' on Friday. Though the petitioners' counsel insisted on restraining the NTA from releasing the NEET 2025 results till then, the judge refused to pass any such interim order. The ASG told the court that a summer vacation judge had directed the NTA not to release the results until the agency conducted an inquiry and found out whether the power outage in the three centres had any impact on the performance of the candidates. Now that the inquiry is over, there should not be any impediment on releasing the results, he said, and urged the court to dismiss all three writ petitions filed by students who had appeared for NEET at the centres in Avadi, Kunrathur, and K.K. Nagar in Chennai.