The Supreme Court is set to hear multiple petitions on July 18 calling for the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 examination due to allegations of widespread irregularities
The hearing was originally scheduled for today but was postponed.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud noted that some parties involved had not yet received affidavits filed by the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), requiring additional time to prepare responses before proceeding with arguments.
On July 8, CJI Chandrachud commented on the integrity of the recently conducted NEET exam, indicating that the exam’s sanctity had been “compromised” and that there was clear evidence of a paper leak.
The court strongly criticized the government’s response, urging it to take decisive action against both candidates who benefitted from the leaked exam and those responsible for leaking the question paper. The Supreme Court stated that it might mandate a retest if the leak was found to be extensive and widely disseminated on social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.
The NTA was ordered to provide a full disclosure detailing:
- When the leak occurred,
- How the question papers were leaked and distributed,
- The time elapsed between the leak and the examination.
Additionally, the NTA was directed to outline the measures taken to identify the leak, including:
- Locations and centers where the leak happened,
- Methods used to detect the leak,
- The number of students identified as having benefited from the leak.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was also instructed to submit a status report on their investigation and any new information discovered.
The court further advised the NTA and the Centre to consider using data analytics to identify suspicious cases and suggested forming a multidisciplinary team to investigate the incident.
Controversy arose after the 2024 general election with claims of a question paper leak and discrepancies in marks. Reports indicated that 67 students achieved perfect scores, an unusually high number compared to previous exams. Additionally, 1,563 candidates were awarded grace marks due to receiving incorrect question papers, and the NEET UG results were announced on June 4, ten days earlier than scheduled, which further fueled suspicions.
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