‘Students not innocent, they understand motive, agenda’, SC on plea against TN govt's NEET signature campaign

The petitioner submitted that school students are distressed because no permission was asked from their parents to collect their signatures, which might distress them before they take the NEET exam.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider a plea against the announcement made by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on launching a signature campaign in the state in protest against the conduct of NEET exams, saying the students are not so innocent as they understand the motive and agenda behind it.

The campaign is proposed to be conducted throughout Tamil Nadu to collect 50 lakh signatures in 50 days.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Vishwanathan told the petitioner-in-person M L Ravi that these issues should not be raised in PIL jurisdiction.

“These kind of campaigns do not affect any policy…..this kind of competitive examination on pan-India basis has to be held. The campaign is not going to affect anything. Let people say,” the bench said.

Ravi submitted that school students are distressed because no permission was asked from their parents to collect their signatures, which might distress them before they take the NEET exam.

“Fortunately, we have an informed generation. Our children are not so innocent now, they understand everything, what is the motive, what is the agenda,” the bench said.

Ravi said the ruling party is taking advantage and targeting the children.

Pronouncing the order, the bench said, “We have heard the petitioner-in-person at a considerable length. We are of the opinion that it is not a fit case to invoke the jurisdiction of Article 32 of the Constitution, we therefore decline to entertain the petition.”

The petitioner, who is an advocate and a social activist, had contended that TN's minister for sports, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has announced that a signature campaign in protest against the conduct of NEET exams will be conducted throughout the state to collect 50 lakh signatures in 50 days.

“There is no permission obtained from the parents of the ward to take the signature of the students. By this act students get disturbed and later they may have to face the NEET exams, the students may get depressed and end up in mental agony and spoil their career,” the plea said.

The petitioner said he came to know about it through social media and it is understood that no permission is being taken from the parents of the students.

The Supreme Court had already heard the matter related to validity of all India NEET exams and finality was arrived in allowing the exams and are being conducted every year.

“The signature campaign is the right of any political party but the students should not be used in this type of activity,” the plea said.