Justice (Retd.) Hari Parandaman has asked Tamil Nadu chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami to go on ‘fast protest’ to impress upon the Centre in getting exemption for Tamil Nadu students from appearing in the common NEET exam to pursue medical courses.

It may be recalled that Anitha of Ariyalur committed suicide after she failed to get through the NEET qualifying exam despite getting more than 90% in Class XII examinations. Protests across the State continued for many weeks as youths, school/college students and advocates sat in protest at many places in the State.

Film director Pa. Ranjith organized a national-level symposium in Chennai to discuss the challenges facing the education sector today. Delivering a lecture at the symposium, Justice Hari Parandaman said that while it was appreciable that chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami was observing the centenary celebrations of MGR in a grand manner, he should also put up a huge protest to get exemption from NEET.

“The chief-minister and the deputy chief-minister should sit in fast protest at the Jayalalithaa Memorial on the Marina and continue their protest till the Centre grants exemption to Tamil Nadu students from appearing in NEET exam. I’m sure youths and students would lend their support to this protest. There are enough provisions in the law to grant NEET exemption to Tamil Nadu,” he concluded.