E-Paper
Supreme Court on NEET: ‘Data not indicative of systemic leak’
The Supreme Court said the cancellation of the NEET-UG medical entrance test would neither justified nor required.
Refusing to order NEET-UG reexamination, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed there had been an absence of materials on record to prove there was a systemic breach in the conduct of the exam.
"The data on record is not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the exam," the court said.
It added that cancellation of the NEET-UG medical entrance test would neither be justified nor required.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard submissions from a battery of lawyers, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), and senior advocates Narender Hooda, Sanjay Hegde and Mathews Nedumapra for around four days.
"There is an absence of material to conclude that the result of the NEET-UG 2024 exam is vitiated or there is a systemic breach," the CJI said.
The court, however, observed that the fact that question papers were leaked in Hazaribagh and Patna was not disputed.
Also read: CJI DY Chandrachud slams lawyer in Supreme Court: ‘Call security, have him...’
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
The Central government had ordered a CBI probe into the paper leaks in Bihar. The agency has arrested over a dozen people in connection with the incident.
The CBI indicated that the material showed 155 students in Hazaribagh and Patna had been the beneficiaries of the fraud, reported Bar and Bench.
The Supreme was hearing a clutch of petitions demanding retest after the agency found paper leaks in at least two cities in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Earlier this month, the Centre shunted the NTA chief and formed a panel to recommend improvements in the functioning of the body.
With inputs from PTI
