MCI agrees to remove restrictions of age ceiling and number of attempts for NEET

Taking note of a suggestion given by the Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has done away with all restrictions placed on candidates appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

NEET is an all-India examinations that qualifies candidates for entry into undergraduate medical schools.

In a resolution passed on Thursday, the executive committee of the MCI said restrictions such as the three-attempt limit and age ceiling of 25 years would be done away with. “The oversight committee wrote to the MCI and the ministry of health and family welfare on February 28, asking them to remove these restrictions. The ministry asked the MCI to adhere to its advice,” said a source.

Following that, the executive committee passed a unanimous decision to abide by the apex court-appointed panel’s recommendation.

The MCI is expected to apprise the Supreme Court about its changed stand in its next hearing – slated for March 20, 2017.

In January, the government had issued an executive order limiting the number of attempts accorded to a NEET candidate to three and capping the age ceiling at 25. Both the decisions were made on the MCI’s recommendations. Within days, students challenged the government order in various judicial forums – including high courts and the Supreme Court.

The MCI, in its affidavit, had batted in favour of restriction. “A candidate aspiring to study medicine needs to have a certain level of maturity of mind and body to undertake such a technical course,” it had said.

Now, students want the Supreme Court to order restarting of the application process that the Central Board of Secondary Education closed on March 1.