HC puts on hold CBSE Neet eligibility norms

New Delhi: In a major breather to MBBS aspirants, Delhi high court on Wednesday put on hold a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) notification laying down eligibility conditions, including upper age limit of 25 years and 30 years for general and reserved categories respectively, to apply for the MBBS course.

The order was passed by a two-judge bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar on several petitions moved by aggrieved medical aspirants who by various other eligibility norms, are barred from applying for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet)-UG.  The last date for submitting the application for the test is on March 9.

According to the CBSE notification, those candidates who have studied in an open school, those who have taken biology as an additional subject, students who have taken more than two years to complete their Classes 11 and 12 and those students who have studied privately are not eligible to apply for the exam.

The court, while passing its interim order, made it clear that while the candidates were allowed to submit their application for the entrance exam, it does not mean that they can sit for it.

The high court bench further said that the students from open school or those who have studied privately should belong to a recognised board in order to apply for the entrance exam.

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