On Sunday(21st July), The NTA submitted a fresh affidavit to the Supreme Court, refuting conflict of interest claims involving the IIT-Madras Director. Petitioners had argued that the Director’s role on the NTA governing body made him unfit to prepare the report.
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NEW DELHI: On Sunday night( 21st July), the National Testing Agency (NTA) submitted a fresh affidavit to the Supreme Court to address concerns regarding a potential conflict of interest involving the Director of IIT-Madras. This action follows allegations that the Director, who is part of the NTA’s governing body, might have had an undue influence in preparing the NEET-UG 2024 report.
Background and Allegations
During a recent hearing, petitioners argued that the IIT-Madras Director’s position on the NTA governing body posed a significant conflict of interest, suggesting that he should not have been involved in preparing the report. Advocate Hooda emphasized this point, stating-
“There is a conflict of interest because the IIT-Madras Director is a member of the NTA governing body.”
However, the Solicitor General refuted this claim, asserting-
“That is factually incorrect; someone else was involved in preparing the report.”
Supreme Court’s Response
The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on this matter to July 18, noting that some parties had not received the latest affidavits from the Centre and NTA in time. The bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, emphasized the need for all parties to review the affidavits before proceeding with arguments.
During the brief hearing, the bench also acknowledged receiving a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the progress of their investigation into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
The Court stated-
“The analysis reveals no signs of malpractice or evidence of a specific group of candidates receiving unfair advantages resulting in abnormal scores.”
Affidavit Details
In the affidavit, the NTA highlighted the findings from a data analytics report conducted by IIT-Madras. The report concluded that the distribution of marks followed a normal pattern, typical of large-scale examinations, and found no evidence of mass malpractice or local anomalies.
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The NTA further elaborated that-
“The analysis indicates that the distribution of marks is normal and that no external factors appear to influence the mark distribution.”
Additionally, the affidavit mentioned that the 2024-25 counseling process for undergraduate seats would begin in the third week of July, conducted in four rounds. The NTA assured the court of the robust measures in place to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the examination process, including the secure printing, transportation, and distribution of question papers.
The Supreme Court has indicated that if substantial evidence of large-scale malpractice is found, it may consider ordering a re-test for the NEET-UG 2024. This stance aligns with the Court’s earlier observation on July 8, when it noted-
“The integrity of the exams has been compromised, and we require answers.”
