On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued a notice regarding a plea from the National Testing Agency (NTA) seeking to transfer various petitions related to the NEET-UG 2024 examination from the High Courts to the apex court. A bench led by Justice Vikram Nath has also stayed the proceedings in different High Courts.
Counselling Process to Continue
The Supreme Court emphasized that the counselling process for NEET-UG 2024 will not be halted. Additionally, the court has issued a notice to the Centre and the NTA concerning a petition filed by students who appeared for the NEET-UG exam at the Meghalaya center. These students claim they lost 45 minutes during the exam and have requested to be included among the 1,563 students who received grace marks and were offered the option to retake the exam on June 23.
Hearing Scheduled for July 8
The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing of these pleas for July 8. The NEET-UG 2024 exam was conducted on May 5, with results declared on June 4, ahead of the originally scheduled announcement date of June 14. Allegations of irregularities and paper leaks surfaced following the results, which showed that 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720.
Petitions for Re-test and Grace Marks
In response to these allegations, petitions have been filed by students seeking a re-test. The Supreme Court has permitted a re-test for over 1,500 students who were awarded “grace marks.” The NEET-UG examination, administered by the NTA, is a gateway for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.
NTA’s Response and Supreme Court’s Stance
On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of the 1,563 candidates who received grace marks would be canceled. These candidates were given the option to retake the exam on June 23, with results to be announced before June 30, or to forgo the compensatory marks awarded for the loss of time.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti stressed the importance of addressing any negligence, no matter how minor, in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The court directed the advocates representing the Centre and the NTA to ensure such issues are taken seriously.
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