New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India Monday July 08, 2024 grilled the National Test Agency (NTA) over the irregularities and reports of paper leak in The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET (UG) but refused to grant any immediate relief to those seeking re-exams.
"Let us not be in self-denial about what happened," the SC bench, comprising of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said.
"Assuming that the government does not cancel the exam, what will it do to identify the beneficiaries of the question paper leak?" the bench asks.
"There is no question that leak of question paper has not taken place. We are determining its extent," the bench observed.
It said there were certain "red flags" as 67 candidates had scored 720 out of 720.
"In the previous years, the proportion was very low," the bench added.
NEET Re-exam last option
Hearing a batch of over 30 petitions on NEET UG 2024, CJI D.Y. Chandrachud said the re-examination of an exam conducted on such a large scale is the last option.
“If the breach is confined to specific centers and the beneficiaries of the wrongdoing can be identified, it may not be proper to order a re-test for such an exam, which has been conducted on a massive scale”, the CJI said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Monday directed the CBI to file a status report on the investigations into the paper leak FIRs by Wednesday July 10.
The SC has fixed the next hearing on NEET UG Thursday July 11, 2024.
Row over NEET UG 2024
As per the NEET UG 2024 result data, a total of 67 students from different parts of India scored a perfect 100% i.e. bagged 720 out of the total 720 marks to jointly share the All India Rank 1 (AIR 1). Overall too most of the students bagged marks more than they had expected.
The NTA on its part said changes in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres were some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks.
But what shocked the students was 6 students from a same centre in Haryana scoring 720 out of the total 720 marks.
The NEET UG 2024 result and toppers list released by the NTA re-ignited the allegations that the medical entrance was rigged and marred by malpractice.
On the very day of the exam, it was alleged that NEET UG 2024 paper was leaked. The NTA however refuted all such claims.
However after the announcement of the NEETUG 2024 result in haste the allegations of paper leak and malpractice re-surfaced.
SC Petition on NEET UG 2024
The petitioners alleged that the grant of grace marks by the National Testing Agency, purportedly due to delay during the exam, was a mala fide exercise to give “backdoor entry” to certain students.
The petitioners also sought stay on the medical admission counselling 2024 based on the NEET UG score.
The row over NEET UG 2024 score went to the court even as the Ministry of Education formed a committee to probe the allegations of “irregularities” in the medical exams.
The ministry formed the committee after a huge demand by the students, who were also supported by various political parties, seeking cancellation and re-examination of the NEET UG 2024.
The NTA had already cancelled the exams of 1,563 students who were awarded grace marks. The demand of the students to cancel NEET UG 2024 for all is yet to be met.
Meanwhile, the Modi government Friday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing cancellation of the NEET UG 2024.
On Monday, as hundreds of thousands of students protested in New Delhi demanding abolition of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and cancellation of NEET UG 2024, the SC also heard a petition filed by a group of students from Gujarat who were against NEET re-exam.
Meanwhile, the medical counselling for admission in MBBS, BDS, BUMS, BHMS, BAMS, B.Sc Nursing and other courses which was supposed to start on July 06, 2024 has been delayed.
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