Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued a directive to the National Testing Agency (NTA) to rectify deficiencies within the NEET-UG exam system and avoid inconsistencies that have plagued the process. The court emphasized the importance of using technology to identify and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities to prevent future exam paper leaks.
The NEET-UG exam, conducted on May 5, faced significant issues a month later when results were declared. Addressing these concerns, the court highlighted that such “flip-flops” do not serve the interests of students.
“We have highlighted all deficiencies in the structural processes… this we cannot afford for the betterment of the students,” the court stated on Friday morning.
The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, has tasked a seven-member committee led by ex-ISRO chief Dr. K Radhakrishnan, which includes former AIIMS (Delhi) Director Dr. Randeep Guleria, to analyze the entire examination process and suggest improvements. The committee has until September 30 to submit its report, after which the Ministry of Education will have two weeks to report on the implementation of the committee’s recommendations.
The court offered eight points to guide the committee, including establishing a standard operating procedure for conducting qualifying exams, reviewing the process of allotting exam centers, enhancing identity checks of candidates, and implementing CCTV monitoring of exam centers. Additionally, secure logistics providers are to be used to ensure the non-tampering of question papers, as the 2024 NEET-UG exam papers may have been leaked during transport from the printing facility to exam centers.
The Supreme Court also emphasized the need for counseling programs to ensure the mental welfare of students, alongside training for staff and management to handle such concerns.
On the broader issue of leaked exam papers, the court acknowledged that there was no systemic breach, with the leak limited to Patna in Bihar and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. The Hazaribagh leak has been identified as ‘Ground Zero’ by the CBI, which is investigating a nationwide ‘solver gang’ racket responsible for leaking question papers. Multiple arrests have been made, including the alleged kingpin, Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky.
The CBI has filed its first chargesheet in this case, naming 13 individuals, including four candidates, a junior engineer, and two ‘kingpins.’ Officials noted that parents of some students have also been named, with at least one supplementary chargesheet expected as investigations continue.
Last week, the court ruled out a full re-test for NEET-UG 2024, stating there was no evidence to conclude that the exam’s sanctity had been breached on a large scale. The court recognized the potential negative impact of a re-test on students, the admission schedule, and the availability of future medical professionals.
The NEET-UG exam controversy arose when concerns were raised over the number of perfect scores, particularly from a coaching center in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, which produced six perfect scores. Additionally, there were issues regarding ‘grace marks’ awarded to 1,563 students and a disputed Physics question with two ‘correct’ answers.
