Open school students are eligible for NEET exam rules Supreme Court    

Open school students who have passed class 10th from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and state education boards will now be recognized by the National Medical Council (NMC) for the National Eligibility- Entrance-cum Test (NEET), rules the Supreme Court. 

The Medical Council of India Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 prohibited students of open school to appear in the examination.  The Delhi High Court in 2018 strikes down this provision as unconstitutional. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar pointed out that the medical council presumed that the students who do not take regular schools because of financial hardship and other reasons are inferior, such presumptions must be rejected as it violates both Article 14 and the right to equal Opportunity.  

The matter was placed before the bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Arvind Kumar. the counsel for the respondent informed the Division of the letter dated 02.11.2023 addressed by the Under Graduate Medical Education Board of the NMC. The letter conveyed that “All open schools recognized by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and State Education Board shall be considered for recognition by National Medical Commission (NMC) for NEET.”

Moreover, the Public Notice issued by the Board on the same date was also placed before the Court according to which the Commission has framed Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023. Accordingly, if the candidate has passed 10+2 with the required subjects, then he/she will be eligible to appear in NEET-UG.