Today, On 4th November, The Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging two questions from the NEET-UG examination, stating that the entire examination process cannot be overturned based on such grievances. The court emphasized the need for stability and the integrity of the examination system. The petition argued that the disputed questions were problematic, but the bench maintained that addressing these concerns does not warrant invalidating the entire process.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision not to classify two questions from this year’s NEET-UG as incorrect or to award bonus marks for them.
The court was considering a Special Leave Petition against the Delhi High Court’s judgment from August 1, 2024, which had rejected a writ petition filed by a candidate of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024.
The High Court indicated that subject experts had evaluated the questioned items, the results had already been announced, and it was not feasible to disrupt the counseling schedule at that stage.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra opted not to entertain the appeal, asserting,
“We cannot unseat the whole process.”
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) remarked to the petitioner, who appeared on their own behalf,
“If you are correct, it would necessitate re-evaluating the entire examination results. What happens to the students who have already been admitted? The admissions have been finalized. We cannot interfere in this matter. Thank you. Dismissed,”
The petitioner contended before the High Court that the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) failure to classify questions 104 and 149 from the R4 test booklet as incorrect and to award bonus marks was “arbitrary, discriminatory, unjust, unethical, and violative of fundamental rights.”
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The Court noted that the NTA examined the issue with subject experts upon receiving objections, emphasizing that it “cannot act as an appellate authority over the experts’ decisions regarding the correct answers to the questions,” in line with judicial precedents.
On July 23, 2024, the Supreme Court declined to annul the NEET-UG 2024 examination, stating “there was insufficient evidence at that point to determine that the results were compromised or that any systematic breach of the exam’s integrity had occurred.”
The Court indicated that ordering a retest would be unwarranted. It further clarified that any students with unresolved grievances were entitled to seek remedies through appropriate legal channels.
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