News Analysis India

Tag: Justice Jyoti Singh

  • Students claim NEET exam not applicable for AYUSH courses, HC issues notice

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI:  A group of students on Monday approached the Delhi High Court claiming that AYUSH courses cannot come under National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) as the examination is restricted to Modern Scientific medicine and does not include traditional medicine courses.

    Seeking the stand of the Centre and National Testing Agency in this regard, a division bench headed by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice on the plea filed by six AYUSH aspirants.

    Further, the court said it will hear the matter on March 30 along with another plea filed by a group of Allopathic doctors who have moved the Court against allowing AYUSH practitioners to perform some surgeries. It also asked Centre’s counsel Monika Arora to furnish details of allopathic doctors’ plea.

    During the course of the hearing, the court also remarked that there is a double standard in the plea. “On a lighter side, you on one hand are saying you are competitive. But when asked to appear in NEET, you are saying we are not,” the court said while listing both the matters for the next hearing.

    In the AYUSH aspirants’ petition, it was contended that their courses operate differently and they are fundamentally different from Medical Institutions that grant degrees, diplomas, or licenses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, or Homoeopathy medicines.

    They also said that the common entrance test is not structured to take into account the eligibility criteria for admission to AYUSH courses.

    Claiming that NEET for AYUSH courses is in violation of Article 14 which provides equality before the law or equal protection of the laws, the aspirants said they are not against the entrance test system but against NEET for taking admission to AYUSH courses–Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa Rigpa.

  • Delhi HC issues notice to Centre on petition seeking compliance of Manual Scavengers Act

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court, on Thursday, August 5, 2021, issued notice to Centre on a petition seeking strict compliance of the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

    A Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh allowed the application seeking impleading Union of India as a necessary party to the proceedings for proper adjudication of the petition.

    The court asked the Centre to file a reply and listed for further hearing in mid-September.

    The application filed by Advocate and social activist Amit Sahni came after the statement given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, in the Rajya Sabha.

    ALSO READ: Plea in Delhi HC to make Centre party to petition for compliance of law on manual scavenging

    “That on July 27, 2021, during the 254th Session of the Rajya Sabha, the Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice and empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale (also ex-officio Chairperson of Central Monitoring Committee constituted under section 29 of the Act), while answering an unstarred question bearing no. 1017, asked by fellow MPs Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr L Hanumanthaia about the number of deaths caused due to manual scavenging during the last five years, stated that no such deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging,” read the application.

    “The said answer before the upper house of the Parliament is not only false and misleading but shows utter insensitivity and apathy towards the departed souls of the manual scavengers, their family members and also towards the group of people who are still into manual scavenging,” said advocate Sahni.

    Sahni said that such a statement from the ex-officio chairperson of the Central Committee constituted under the Act further makes it evident that the government has indulged in deliberate misstatement and distortion of facts to applaud itself contrary to the record available in the public domain.

    The application was filed in the ongoing petition seeking the intervention of the court for issuing directions to the respondents to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (referred to as an Act) to prevent loss of valuable lives of manual scavengers.

    In the fresh application, advocate Sahni said that the record placed before the court is contrary to the statement given by the ministry.

    “Therefore, the present application is being filed for early listing and impleading Union of India as a necessary party to the proceedings for proper adjudication of the Petition filed by the Petitioner. Kindly list the matter at the earliest,” the lawyer said.

    Amit Sahni had sought appropriate directions from civic bodies to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, in order to prevent loss of lives because of manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.