The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to declare the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate courses for the year 2021.
The apex court stayed a Bombay High Court order which had halted the declaration of results, reports Bar and Bench.
The High Court had asked NTA not to declare results, after two aggrieved candidates had approached it claiming that their test booklets and OMR sheets got mixed up during the NEET exam held on September 12.
“We stay the High Court judgment. NTA can announce NEET UG results,” a three-judge Bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Dinesh Maheshwari and BR Gavai ordered today.
The top court said that the issue raised by the two students can be examined but the results of 16 lakh students cannot be withheld due to that.
“We will decide what happens to the two students upon reopening. But we cannot hold the results of 16 lakh students,” the Bench remarked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Central government, also said that any confusion with respect to the two students will be rectified but results of other students cannot be withheld due to the same.
The Court agreed and proceeded to issue notice in the matter while giving permission to NTA to declare results.
The two students before the High Court had highlighted that their test booklets and OMR sheets got mixed up during the NEET exam.
The submitted that when invigilators started distributing the test booklets, it fell down. As a result the test booklets and the OMR sheets which the two candidates received, got mixed up.
The High Court had, therefore, directed the NTA to re-examine the two candidates by conducting a separate NEET examination before declaration of results.
NTA was further directed to declare the result of re-examination of petitioners along with the result of NEET examination held on September 12.
In its appeal before the Supreme Court, NTA contended that effect of the High Court order is that NTA who has conducted the NEET (UG) 2021 examination for more than 16 lakh candidates is not able to declare results even though the same is ready.
