E-Paper
SC directs NTA to declare centre-wise marks of NEET-UG candidates by July 20
The bench asked petitioners' lawyers to prove claims of significant irregularities, including question paper leak, which might justify cancellation and re-test.
The Supreme Court on Thursday instructed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to announce the city and centre-wise results of NEET-UG 2024 by noon on July 20, ensuring the identities of the aspirants are hidden. The court will continue hearing arguments on July 22 regarding multiple petitions calling for the cancellation, re-test, and a court-monitored investigation into alleged widespread malpractices in the NEET-UG exam held on May 5.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud stated that any decision to re-conduct the exam must be based on solid evidence showing the entire process was compromised due to alleged malpractices.
During the hearing, the bench asked the petitioners' lawyers to prove their claims of significant irregularities, including the question paper leak, which might justify a cancellation and re-test. The court noted that, at first glance, the question paper leak seemed confined to Patna and Hazaribagh, with no similar issues reported in Godhra, Gujarat.
Read Here: 4 AIIMS Patna students questioned by CBI in NEET-UG paper leak case
The bench is hearing over 40 petitions, including those from the NTA, which conducts NEET-UG. The NTA wants to transfer cases about alleged irregularities from various high courts to the Supreme Court to avoid multiple lawsuits.
In Patna and Hazaribagh, there were allegations that the question papers were leaked. In Godhra, there were claims that someone involved in the exam took money to fill out the OMR sheets for certain candidates.
The bench questioned the claims regarding the leak of question papers on the social media platform ‘Telegram’ and said, “You have to bear in mind that the idea of somebody doing this was not to make a national charade. People did it for money. So, it was not to bring disrepute to the exam and somebody was doing it to make money which is evident. Mass leakage requires contacts also at that level so that you connect to all such key contacts in different cities.”
The bench, which included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, began the important hearing on the petitions related to the controversial medical entrance exam, noting it has “social ramifications.”
NEET UG 2024: Retest must be on concrete footing that sanctity of entire exam was affected, says Supreme Court
The top court postponed other cases to prioritise the NEET-UG pleas, stating, “We will open the case today. Lakhs of young students are waiting for this, let us hear and decide.”
The bench asked the petitioners to prove that the paper leak was "systemic" and impacted the entire examination, justifying its cancellation.
CJI Chandrachud said, “Re-examination has to be on concrete footing that the sanctity of the entire test was affected.”
Addressing the issue of the ongoing probe into the matter, the bench said, “The CBI probe is on. If what the CBI has told us is revealed, it will affect the investigation and people will become wise.”
On July 11, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing to July 18 because some parties had not yet received responses from the Centre and the NTA. The pleas include requests to cancel NEET-UG 2024, conduct a re-test, and investigate alleged misconduct. Over 23.33 lakh students took the exam on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. In their affidavits to the Supreme Court, the Centre and the NTA argued that cancelling the exam would be "counterproductive" and harm many honest candidates, especially without evidence of a widespread breach.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), conducted by the NTA, is used for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.
