Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of petitions on Monday regarding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024. The petitions, over 30 in number, include requests for the exam to be conducted afresh due to alleged irregularities and malpractices during the May 5 test.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will review 38 petitions related to NEET-UG, which serves as the entrance exam for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other medical courses in government and private institutions across India.
Accusations of paper leaks and discrepancies in awarding grace marks have led to protests and political outcry from the opposition nationwide. Suspicions of irregularities arose when an unprecedented 67 students scored a perfect 720, with six top scorers coming from a single centre in Haryana. The results, announced on June 4, were released 10 days ahead of the scheduled date.
The government and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers NEET-UG, have opposed the scrapping of the exam, citing the absence of evidence for a large-scale breach of confidentiality and the potential adverse effects on thousands of honest candidates.
In its affidavit to the court, the Union Education Ministry stated, “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.”
The government further added that canceling the exam would jeopardize the futures of many honest candidates who took the test in 2024. Similarly, the NTA’s affidavit described the cancellation as “counterproductive and significantly harmful” to public interest and the career prospects of qualified candidates. The agency insisted that the exam was conducted fairly and securely, dismissing the claims of widespread malpractice as “unfounded and misleading.”
In a similar petition considered on June 11, the Supreme Court remarked that the “sanctity of the exams has been affected” and emphasized the need for answers, seeking responses from the Centre and NTA. “It is not that simple. Because you have done it, it is sacrosanct. Sanctity has been affected, so we need answers,” Justice Amanullah told the NTA’s counsel.
The petitions request the scrapping of the exam, a re-test, and a court-monitored investigation into the alleged issues, which impacted over 23 lakh candidates across 4,750 centres in 571 cities.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken up the probe into the allegations and cases registered in various states. The government has also formed a high-level expert committee to recommend measures for ensuring transparent, smooth, and fair examinations by the NTA. Additionally, the agency’s chairman has been changed.
