Gujarat: NEET mandatory for ayurveda, homoeopathy courses

Ahmedabad: Students challenged the Gujarat Professional Medical Educational Courses (Regulation of Admission) 2017 rule by signing a petition. According to the rule, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has been made mandatory for admission into ayurveda and homoeopathy courses.

However, the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday dismissed the petition. A division bench headed by Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy dismissed the petition. “The state was justified in framing these rules making a certain minimum NEET score mandatory for BAMS (ayurveda) and BHMS (homoeopathy) courses,” the court said.

“Until last year those seeking admission to BAMS and BHMS only needed to get 50% marks in Class 12 board exam and appear for Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET),” the petition said.

They appeared for GUJCET and not NEET as they were not interested in applying for other courses, the petition said.

However, the rules changed the criteria by introducing mandatory NEET clearance, it said.

The government, however, said all Class 12 students had been intimated well in advance about changes in the admission criteria.

“The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board had issued a press note on March 8, stating that GUJCET will be conducted only for engineering and pharmacy courses,” said  the government lawyer.

Prior to it, a news report on February 10, informed that admissions to medical (MBBS), dental, homoeopathy, ayurveda and naturopathy courses will be granted on the basis of NEET score, the lawyer said.