Today(on 18th July), The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, emphasized that re-conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exam requires concrete evidence of widespread compromise. Prioritizing the NEET-UG petitions, the court postponed other cases to address the issue’s urgency and social impact.
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NEW DELHI: Today(on 18th July), The Supreme Court of India, stated that any order to conduct the NEET-UG 2024 examination afresh must be based on concrete evidence proving that the integrity of the entire exam was compromised. A bench, which included Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, began the significant hearing on a series of petitions related to the contentious NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam, emphasizing its “social ramifications.”
The Supreme Court postponed other cases to prioritize the NEET-UG pleas, indicating the importance and urgency of the matter.
“We will take up the case today. Lakhs of young students are waiting for a resolution, so let’s hear and decide it.”
-stated the bench.
The petitioners, who are seeking the cancellation of the exam, a re-test, and a court-monitored investigation into the alleged irregularities in the May 5 exam, were asked to demonstrate that the paper leak was “systemic” and had affected the entire examination process, thus necessitating a re-examination.
“The re-examination must be based on solid grounds indicating that the integrity of the entire test was compromised.”
-reiterated the CJI.
Regarding the ongoing investigation, the bench commented-
“The CBI investigation is ongoing. If the details shared by the CBI are disclosed, it could compromise the investigation and alert the individuals involved.”
The hearing is currently in progress.
The bench is considering over 40 petitions, including those filed by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting NEET-UG. The NTA seeks to transfer cases against it, currently pending in various high courts, to the Supreme Court to prevent multiple litigations.
On July 11, the Supreme Court had deferred the hearing of the pleas until July 18, including those requesting the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024, a re-test, and an investigation into alleged malpractices, as some parties had not yet received responses from the Centre and the NTA.
More than 23.33 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 test on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. In their affidavits filed with the Supreme Court, the Centre and the NTA argued that canceling the exam would be “counterproductive” and would “seriously jeopardize” the prospects of numerous honest candidates, given the lack of substantial evidence indicating a large-scale breach of confidentiality.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), conducted by the NTA, is crucial for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.
