NEET-UG Test Cancellation Petitions Heard By Supreme Court In Light Of Leak Scheme

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 8th July. On Monday, the Supreme Court commenced considering a number of petitions concerning the NEET-UG 2024 medical admission examination. Among the appeals are those requesting that the exam be canceled and retaken on the grounds that the May 5 test had anomalies and malpractices.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is examining 38 petitions concerning the exam, which is a national examination for admissions to medical programs in both government and private universities in India, including MBBS, BDS, and Ayush.

The opposition in India has launched rallies and political outcry in response to the claims of irregularities, which include anomalies in the awarding of grace marks and paper leaks. Six of the highest scorers came from a single Haryana center, raising suspicions of cheating after an unprecedented 67 pupils initially received a perfect score of 720. On June 4, ten days ahead of planned, the findings were revealed.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET-UG exam, and the government have both opposed eliminating the test, pointing to the lack of proof for a widespread breach of confidentially and the possible harm to thousands of sincere applicants.

In a court affidavit, the Union Education Minister stated, “It is also submitted that at the same time, in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared.”

“Scrapping the exam in its entirety would seriously jeopardise the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted the question paper in 2024,” the administration stated.

The NTA’s affidavit echoed this opinion, describing the exam’s cancellation as “counterproductive and significantly harmful” to the public interest and the professional opportunities of eligible applicants.

The organization insisted that the test was administered securely and equitably, calling allegations of widespread malfeasance “unfounded and misleading.”

The Supreme Court noted that the “sanctity of the exams has been affected” and that “we need answers” in its consideration of a similar petition on June 11. The Court also requested comments from the NTA and the Center.

“It’s not really that easy. It is sacred because you are the one who did it. Justice Amanullah informed the attorneys for NTA, “Sanctity has been affected, so we need answers.”

The petitions ask for a court-monitored probe into the concerns highlighted by the exam, which was taken by nearly 23 lakh students across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, as well as the elimination of the test and a retest.

The CBI has started looking into the claims and lawsuits that have been filed in other states in the meantime. A high-level expert committee appointed by the government will suggest ways to guarantee fair, easy, and transparent NTA examinations. The chairman of the agency was also replaced.