NEET 2024
The Supreme Court has asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the central government to provide explanations regarding the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam. This controversy is raising concerns about the fairness and integrity of the exam.
New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the central government to explain the controversy around the NEET-UG 2024 exam. This controversy includes allegations of a paper leak and issues with the results announced on June 4, which have affected the fairness of the exam.
A group of 10 NEET-UG candidates filed a petition asking to stop the results and hold a new exam. The Supreme Court, led by Justice Vikram Nath, did not stop the ongoing counselling process and scheduled a hearing for July 8. This will be discussed along with another petition about problems with the NEET-UG exam held on May 5.
The bench, which also includes Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, stated, “The issue is serious. The fairness of the exam has been compromised, and we need answers.”
The court was reviewing a petition from 10 candidates who took the NEET exam for MBBS admissions. They are part of nearly 2.4 million students who took the test at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including some overseas locations.
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This year’s NEET exams have faced several controversies, including allegations of paper leaks and inaccurate grading. These issues have led candidates to take legal action. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have called for an investigation, turning the matter into a political issue.
Advocate Mathews J. Nedumpara, representing the petitioners, told the court that the Bihar Police are investigating the paper leak allegations. He requested that the results be put on hold until the investigations are complete and asked for the counselling process to be paused.
However, the court decided not to stop the counselling process, stating, “Let the counselling go on. We will not stop the counselling.”
Senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing the NTA, mentioned a previous order from the Supreme Court on May 17 about another NEET-UG paper leak case. The court instructed the NTA to respond and decided to consider the current petition along with the other case.
Earlier in the day, other lawyers informed the court about more petitions challenging various aspects of NEET-UG, such as paper leaks and how marks were awarded. They also questioned the NTA’s policy of giving grace marks to 1,563 candidates who lost time during the exam. Advocates J Sai Deepak and Kunal Cheema asked the court to combine their cases with the current petition. However, the bench explained that procedural rules required these matters to be addressed by the Supreme Court registry and the Chief Justice of India.
The petition heard on Tuesday was filed on June 1, before the NEET-UG results were announced on June 4. Allegations included a paper leak at a Rajasthan center, English question papers for Hindi medium students, torn OMR sheets, and delays in paper distribution. In Patna, police arrested several people in connection with the alleged paper leak.
The NTA decided to give grace marks to 1,536 students from six centers who did not get the full exam time. When results were announced on June 4, suspicions of paper leaks increased as six students from a single Haryana center scored full marks. The NTA clarified that 67 candidates received perfect scores, with some benefiting from a revised Physics answer key and others from grace marks.
Besides the Supreme Court petitions, the Calcutta High Court and the Delhi High Court are also handling related cases. The controversy has drawn attention from opposition parties, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pledging to address it in Parliament.
In response, the Ministry of Education announced on June 8 the formation of a four-member panel to review the grace marks given to over 1,500 students. The panel will submit its report within a week, aiming to ensure the exam’s integrity.
