Summary:
The actor compared the NEET and the virtual courts amid pandemics, stating that judges were dispensing justice via video conference but ordered students to write NEET exam without fear.
.
Three NEET aspirants who were to appear for the highly competitive NEET committed suicide a day before attempting the common entrance test due to fear and test.
A woman and two men aged between 19 and 21 were resident of Madurai, Dharampuri and Namakkal district.
Tamil actor Suriya Sivakumar on Sunday issued a strongly worded statement against NEET, urging people to raise their voice against the common entrance test.
Madras High Court judge Justice SM Subaramaniam wrote to Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi insisting on the need to initiate suo motu criminal contempt of court against actor Suriya over his remarks about Supreme Court upholding Central government’s decision to conduct National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) midst the ongoing pandemic.
Suriya while commenting on the recent students suicide in Tamil Nadu over fear due to NEET criticized the court for permitting the examination to be conducted among the raging pandemic ‘’fearing threats to lives due to COVID-19, judges were dispensing justice via video conferencing but ordered students to write NEET exam without fear’’ he stated in a strongly worded statement.
He further added that it pained him to see students forced to write such ‘’manuneethi test’’ in an ongoing pandemic.
My heart goes out to the three families..! Can`t imagine their pain..!! pic.twitter.com/weLEuMwdWL
— Suriya Sivakumar (@Suriya_offl) September 13, 2020
Justice Subramaniam took exception to a statement issued by the actor on Sunday and wrote in his letter issued to CJ ‘’the said statement in my considered opinion amounts to contempt of court as the integrity and devotion of the honorable judges as well as the judicial system of our great nation are not only undermined but criticized in bad taste, wherein there is threat to the public confidence on the judiciary’’.
He further stated ‘’thus the cine actor Mr.Suriya has committed contempt, warranting contempt proceedings to uphold the majesty of our Indian judicial system’’.
The statement of Suriya which was posted from his twitter account has gone viral on social media platform with several people lauding the actor for taking strong stand against NEET.
Various political leaders expressed shock over the suicide of three students including AIDMK leader K Palaniswami and O Pannerselvam.