NEET UG 2024: Supreme Court seeks NTA disclosure on paper leak, next hearing on July 11

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE:

• The Supreme Court has asked NTA to reveal when and how the NEET-UG 2024 exam paper was leaked, and the time gap before the exam on May 5.

• The CBI is investigating the leak, and the court wants a report on its progress.

• NTA must explain how they are identifying students who benefited from the leak, including where it happened and how many are involved.

• The court is considering using data analytics to find suspicious cases and protect honest students.

• To prevent future leaks, the court suggests forming a committee with experts to oversee exam security.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The deadline for filing this information is Wednesday, and all affidavits will be shared with petitioners. The court has instructed that the CBI's report be submitted promptly. "Let there be confidence in the community," the Chief Justice of India remarked during the proceedings.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: Furthermore, the court seeks clarity on the procedures between the conclusion of the exam and the commencement of counselling, particularly regarding the retest conducted for 1,563 students and any ongoing efforts to identify further beneficiaries of the leak.

It emphasises the need to preserve the sanctity of the NEET exam to prevent future incidents, suggesting the consideration of a multidisciplinary committee to oversee preventive measures.

Details about the committee's composition and scope are also asked.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: Additionally, the NTA is required to disclose steps taken to identify those who benefited from the leak, including identifying affected centres/cities, modalities used to identify beneficiaries, and the number of implicated students identified thus far.

The court has also asked whether data analytics, either through the Cyber Forensics unit or an expert agency, could feasibly be employed to identify suspect cases and segregate those affected from unaffected candidates.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court has directed the NTA to provide comprehensive disclosures on three key aspects regarding the recent exam paper leak: first, the timeline of when the leak occurred; second, how the leaked papers were disseminated; and third, the duration between the leak and the actual exam conducted on May 5 at 2pm.

With the investigation entrusted to the CBI, the court expects a status report detailing the progress and findings related to the leak's timing and the methods used to distribute the papers, it said.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: SC says it needs to be told what needs to be done to preserve sanctity of NEET exam so that in future such incidents can be avoided. For this, the Centre may consider multi disciplinary committee is appointed to ensure measures are taken to obviate such instances in future

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court has directed the NTA to fully disclose three aspects: the nature of the leak, the locations where the leak occurred, and the time lag between the leak and the exam. The NTA is instructed to provide clarity on these issues.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: SC announces appointment of a nodal counsel akin to CB matters and directs Centre to distribute a detailed schedule of dates. Petitioners urge the court to seek a CBI report on the direction of investigation into the 6 FIRs. SG pledges to request records from CBI and proposes the next hearing be scheduled for Thursday.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: Petitioners highlight that a candidate with 700 marks ranks significantly lower this year compared to previous years. The court reiterates the need for data analytics to identify wrongdoers or potential wrongdoers and suggests considering a retest solely for those identified.

As regards petitioners...We will ask lawyers for petitioners asking for a retest to sit together and give us one set of submissions, says SC.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court notes petitioners' concern that in past years, few scored 100%, whereas this year, it's 67%. It questions whether the percentile distribution is skewed towards the top and whether the exam pattern was easier or compromised by a paper leak.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: CJI says let's not deny the reality. He calls for a multi-disciplinary committee, not solely government-led, given the exam's prestige. Questions focus on enhancing exam security to prevent future leaks and measures to identify beneficiaries if the entire exam isn't cancelled. The court notes petitioner concerns about a rise in perfect scores, contrasting with past figures, and queries whether percentile distribution favours top scorers.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: SC said cancelling an exam is a measure of last resort. The court was informed by SG that comprehensive information will be submitted by Wednesday.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The Supreme Court sought clarification on the national scale of withheld results due to such leaks and their distribution across states. Additionally, the court queried the ongoing identification process of wrongdoers, noting a retest for 1,563 students.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: During proceedings, Solicitor General (SG) said in Godhra a superintendent allegedly colluded with students to provide a three-hour window for exam malpractice. Upon discovery by the District Magistrate (DM), the papers were confiscated, and the superintendent was apprehended. As a consequence, results for implicated students have been withheld.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: SC says, "We don't live in an ideal world, but before deciding on a retest, we're mindful that we're dealing with 23 lakh students. We seek details on: 1. the entire process, 2. nature of FIRs, 3. how the leak spread, and 4. actions taken by the Centre and NTA to identify beneficiaries of wrongdoing. Anyone breaching the exam has no right to be there. We also seek clarity on the government's course of action."

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: CJI says, “It is an admitted fact there is leak. The nature of leak is what we are considering. The leak cannot be disputed. the consequences of it is what we are considering.”

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court queried whether data analytics could help identify students with high NEET scores but lower Class 12 scores, or those excelling in one subject but not in others, as these could be potential red flags. The goal is to understand the patterns in NEET scores.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court asked a comprehensive timeline to address these issues and cautioned the NTA not to view the matter adversarially, given the potential impact on all students. The court stressed the need to identify red flags, such as students scoring 720/720 or anomalies in score patterns. It suggested that either these red flags need to be identified, or a committee should be appointed. The court also mentioned the importance of noting students who register in one state and achieve perfect scores in another state.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The Supreme Court stressed the need to determine whether the sanctity of the exam has been compromised or if it is possible to identify the tainted candidates. With 23 lakh students involved, the court noted it is far-fetched to assume a substantial number are engaged in fraud. The court said there is need to understand how the leak occurred, especially if it spread through social media like Telegram, which would significantly widen the leak's impact.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: CJI said that if the time lag between printing and distribution is significant, it suggests systemic issues, but if it is limited, it would argue against the need for a retest.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The court then inquired about the timeline for when the questions were prepared and handed over to the NTA, where they were preserved, and when they were sent to the lockers. Additionally, the court asked about the printing press involved and the transportation arrangements made for distributing the papers. It asked information on the custody of the papers after printing, the duration between printing and distribution, and whether the papers were sent back to Delhi. The NTA promised to provide a detailed chart.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the court that the questions were prepared by a group of experts in Delhi.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The Supreme Court sought details on the distribution of exam papers, specifically the two sets, Set A and Set B, and whether they were lodged in SBI and Canara Bank in all cities.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: The National Testing Agency (NTA) responded that the papers were removed at around 10:30 or 11:00am on May 5. The exam was conducted in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, with 23.33 lakh students participating. The court also questioned how the papers were sent to the 14 international centers. The NTA confirmed they were sent through embassies, with the court further asking whether this was done via diplomatic bag or courier.

NEET UG 2024 Hearing LIVE: Chief Justice of India inquired about the specific dates when the question papers were lodged in or sent to the lockers. The court requested precise dates for when the papers were placed in and pulled out of the lockers maintained by SBI and Canara Bank.