Tamil Nadu orders withdrawal of 65 cases against anti-NEET protesters
The state government will take legal steps to drop charges against approximately 1,800 people who demonstrated against the medical entrance exam.
The Tamil Nadu government has directed authorities to begin legal processes to drop 65 criminal cases filed against roughly 1,800 individuals. According to reports from The New Indian Express and Hindustan Times, the protesters were involved in demonstrations demanding the abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The demonstrations took place at various locations across the state between May 10 and July 31, 2026. Following these protests, 65 cases were registered at different police stations against the participants, which are currently at various stages of legal proceedings.
An official statement said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was briefed on the status of these cases. Following his instructions, the government issued an order to start the necessary legal steps to withdraw the charges against the 1,800 people.
The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has supported the movement to scrap the NEET, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for medical admissions. The state has also advocated for moving education from the Concurrent List to the State List of the Constitution.
The current administration has proposed that medical course admissions be decided by Class 12 examination marks rather than NEET scores. This position was also held by the previous DMK government, as reported by Hindustan Times.