Madras HC Justice seeks Contempt proceedings against actor Suriya for NEET statement

Hours after South Indian actor Suriya issued a statement regarding the NEET suicides slamming courts over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Exam, Madras High Court Judge Justice SM Subramaniam on Sunday wrote a letter to the Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against the actor.

Suriya while commenting on the recent student suicides in Tamil Nadu allegedly due to NEET, criticized the courts for allowing the examination to be conducted amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic. “Court which is holding video conferencing fearing COVID19 is ordering students to go and write NEET!? 'Manu Dharma' exams like NEET are robbing away not just opportunities but also the lives of our students,” he said in the strongly-worded letter. 

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Justice SM Subramaniyam in his letter to Chief Justice AP Sahi said that he saw the actor’s statement on NEET and entrance exams on TV and YouTube.“The Statement reveals that the Hon'ble Judges are afraid of their own life and rendering justice through video conferencing. While-so, they have no morale to pass orders directing the students to appear for NEET Exam without fear,” Justice SM Subramaniam wrote, adding that this would lead to a threat for the public confidence on the judiciary.

The South Indian Actor who is a huge advocate for students' rights and education urged the government to scrap NEET asking them not to be silent spectators to the student suicides. The actor, who continues to offer the educational service to many students through the Agaram Foundation, has already shed tears over the difficulties faced by students in the NEET exam. The statement that he has posted from his twitter handle has gone viral across social media platforms with several people lauding the actor for speaking out. Four students had allegedly committed suicide due to NEET in the last week alone, gathering strong political reactions from across the state. 

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Opposition party leader M.K Stalin urged the EPS government to oppose conducting NEET Exam in the state. Taking to twitter he also declared that NEET would be scrapped from the state when DMK came to power and that students must try and overcome this fear. 

Expressing grief over the death of the students who died by suicide due to NEET - induced stress, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami requested students preparing for the examination to not give-in to the stress. “Pains to see students taking such steps,” said the CM in a statement he had given following V Vignesh’s death. The Deputy Chief Minister O Panneer Selvam issued a statement also requesting students not to take such drastic measures. “I encourage the students to face anything without being discouraged and also request parents to be supportive of the students,” he said taking to Twitter on Saturday morning. 

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Expressing concern over the recent death of a female NEET aspirant in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai, actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Saturday urged the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to “think of alternatives and implement them expeditiously”.  “What are we going to do to ensure that Jyoti Durga’s death is the last in the NEET related deaths? Central and state governments need to think of alternatives and implement them expeditiously. It is our duty to give our children hope and mental strength. Let’s do it!” he said. 

Even as several states approached the Supreme Court requesting postponement of NEET due to the pandemic, the SC had rejected the plea. 

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