Today, On 7th June, The Calcutta High Court requested a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that alleges irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination. The PIL raises concerns about the fairness and transparency of the medical entrance test. The court’s intervention aims to address potential discrepancies and ensure the integrity of the examination process.
Calcutta: The Calcutta High Court sought a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) that alleges irregularities in the NEET (UG) 2024 examination.
The petitioner argued that the marks obtained by certain candidates, such as 718 or 719, not possible as per the applicable marking/scoring system for the exam.
The court noted that the NTA justifying the high scores by citing a previous Supreme Court decision in the case of Akshat Aggarwal and Others v. Union of India and Others.
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As a result, the division bench of Justices Kausik Chanda and Apurba Singh Ray directed the NTA to file a proper affidavit within 10 days, responding to the allegations made in the PIL.
The Court ordered,
“The National Testing Agency (NTA) cited a Supreme Court judgment in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 600 of 2018 (Akshat Aggarwal & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.) to justify awarding the marks. However, the justification for this action cannot be determined without an affidavit from the NTA (respondent no. 1). Consequently, respondent no. 1 is directed to file an affidavit within ten days from the date of this order to address the allegations presented in this writ petition,”
The Court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide an affidavit detailing how the reservation policies of the state and central governments have been followed in preparing the merit list for the NEET (UG) 2024 examination.
Additionally, the Court scheduled the matter to be heard by a regular bench in two weeks’ time, and has instructed the NTA to preserve all records related to the NEET (UG) 2024 examination until further order of the Court.
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The Court clarified,
“The result of the counselling process will be contingent upon the final decision of the writ petition,”
Deputy Solicitor General of India, Dhiraj Kumar Trivedi, and advocate Tirtha Pati Acharyya represented the NTA and Union of India, while advocate Sunit Kumar Roy appeared for the other respondent.