NEET 2018 eligibility criteria: Delhi High Court stays CBSE’s notification, students can apply for exam

The two petitioners have already completed courses of BAMS and BHMS. They have alleged that the upper age limit was "arbitrary and unreasonable".

NEET 2018 will be held on May 6. (Representational image)

The Delhi High Court today stayed the CBSE’s notification on upper age limit and other criteria for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Two MBBS aspirants from Kerala filed a petition challenging the Medical Council of India’s decision to set an upper age limit of 25 years and 30 years for reserved category and disabled candidates respectively.

The plea said that such a decision was against the Supreme Court direction which had held that there should not be any age limit for appearing in the NEET that is held for MBBS admission. Last year, the government introduced the upper age limit which led to massive protest among medical aspirants. After several petitions, the apex court had allowed students above 25 years to sit for the exam.

However, this year the same criteria were introduced. Candidates who have studied in open school, students who have had biology as an additional subject, those who have taken more than two years to complete their 11th and 12th and students who have studied privately were not eligible to apply for the exam.

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The court, while passing its interim order, made it clear that while the candidates are allowed to submit their application for the entrance exam, it does not mean that they can sit for it. The bench also said students from open school or those who have studied privately should belong to a recognised board in order to apply for the exam.

The court said the interim order will continue till the next date of hearing on April 6.

The two petitioners Jalaludheen T and Suresh T have already completed courses of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS). They have alleged that the upper age limit was “arbitrary and unreasonable”.

They have contended in their plea, filed through advocate Sri Vignesh, that the Supreme Court had quashed the age limit prescribed by CBSE for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and had allowed all the candidates to appear for the exam without any age limit.

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Their petition stated that Kerala provides for quota in admission to MBBS and allied courses for the candidates who have qualified BAMS, BHMS and for nurses.

“The duration of BAMS and BHMS courses are five and a half years. Now if a person desires to take NEET-UG after completion of his course, it becomes difficult for him to do so due to the upper age limit prescribed infringing their fundamental rights enshrined under our Constitution,” the petition said.