India’s Supreme Court directed the Tamil Nadu government on Friday to take measures to ensure that there is no public disorder in the state over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) issue, according to media reports.
“As an interim measure, it is directed that it shall be the obligation of the chief secretary and principal secretary of Tamil Nadu to ensure that no agitation takes place in relation to the NEET examination that has been upheld by this court,” said the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra.
The top court directed that anybody involved in disruptive activity in the state must be booked under the appropriate law.
On September 1, Anitha, a 17-year-old Dalit campaigner who attracted public attention when she spearheaded the fight against the NEET exams, committed suicide. Her performance in state board class 12 exams was excellent, but she took her own life when she failed to get a medical seat. Following her death, there have been widespread protests across the state against the controversial examination scheme, which its opponents say puts the poor at a competitive disadvantage.