Today(on 27th June), The Supreme Court has issued notice in a petition by Xylem Learning regarding alleged malpractices in NEET-UG 2024, including issues with OMR sheets and mark discrepancies. Multiple petitions have been consolidated for a hearing on July 8, 2024, seeking responses from the National Testing Agency, with Senior Advocate R Basant representing the coaching centre.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: Today(on 27th June), The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice in response to a petition filed by the coaching centre Xylem Learning concerning the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test-Undergraduate Exam 2024 (NEET-UG 2024). The petition alleges significant issues including the failure to provide Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets to candidates and inconsistencies in the marks calculated. This development follows multiple petitions filed against the NEET-UG 2024 exam, citing malpractices and paper leaks.
The Supreme Court has decided to address these grievances on July 8, 2024, consolidating all related petitions. The Vacation Bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice SVN Bhatti issued the notice and tagged the matter with other connected cases set for the same date, seeking a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Senior Advocate R Basant, representing Xylem Learning, highlighted the concerns of several individual students.
He stated-
“Numerous students have raised concerns about not receiving their OMR sheets as promised. Additionally, discrepancies have been noted between the calculations on some OMR sheets and those based on the answer key.”
Justice Misra, questioning the basis of the petition, remarked-
“This Article 32 petition is filed by a coaching centre. Can you explain how your fundamental rights have been violated, warranting such a petition under Article 32?”
To this, Basant clarified-
“Petitioners two, three, four, and five are students themselves.”
Justice Bhatti expressed skepticism about the involvement of coaching centres in such matters.
He remarked-
“This is one of the reasons why we observe the role played by this coaching centre ‘Bagpipers’. They have minimal involvement, Mr. Basant. Their responsibility ends once they have fulfilled their service. They have not committed to ensuring that all tasks assigned to the centre are handled by coaching centres.”
The Supreme Court’s decision to issue a notice and seek a response from the NTA underscores the seriousness of the allegations. As the NEET-UG 2024 exam is a crucial gateway for students aspiring to enter medical colleges across India, ensuring the integrity and transparency of the examination process is of paramount importance. The consolidation of multiple petitions indicates a significant level of concern among the stakeholders, warranting judicial scrutiny.
ALSO READ: Entrance Coaching Centre Xylem Kozhikode Challenges NEET’24 Exam Results in Supreme Court
The hearing scheduled for July 8, 2024, will be a critical juncture for addressing these grievances. The outcome could potentially lead to significant changes in how the NEET-UG exam is administered, ensuring that such issues do not recur in the future. Students and educational institutions alike will be closely monitoring the proceedings, hoping for a resolution that upholds the principles of fairness and transparency in one of the country’s most competitive entrance exams.
The Supreme Court has been actively engaged in addressing a series of petitions concerning the NEET-UG 2024 examination, which has been marred by allegations of a paper leak and various malpractices. Advocate Vardhman Kaushik, representing the National Testing Agency (NTA), informed the court that the OMR sheets have already been provided to the candidates.
Justice Misra, seeking clarity on the grievance process, inquired-
“Is there a specific time limit for raising the grievance?” Basant, another counsel, replied, “There is no such procedure.”
Justice Misra emphasized-
“Usually, in such cases, if OMR sheets are uploaded and there is a grievance, there is a time limit.”
Kaushik assured the court,-
“I will check it up.”
The court had previously issued notices in petitions filed by prominent educational influencer Alakh Pandey, known as Physics Wallah, and Abdullah Faiz. These petitions challenge the integrity of the NEET-UG 2024 exam, specifically citing the alleged paper leak, and seek judicial directions for a thorough investigation.
On the same day, the Supreme Court also endorsed recommendations from the Union of India and the NTA to conduct a re-examination for the 1563 candidates who were initially awarded compensatory marks in the NEET-UG 2024. This decision aims to ensure fairness and maintain the examination’s credibility.
Additionally, the court is set to hear petitions demanding probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the alleged malpractices surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
In a significant move on June 14, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a notice on a petition filed by the NTA seeking the transfer of various pending petitions before different High Courts. These petitions allege widespread malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The court has consolidated these matters and scheduled a hearing for July 8, 2024. Other transfer petitions filed by the NTA, which were related to the grant of compensatory marks, were withdrawn as the Supreme Court had already settled these issues on June 13, 2024.
ALSO READ: NEET Row | SC Refuses to Stay NEET-UG 2024 Counselling, Issues Notice to NTA
Furthermore, on June 20, 2024, the Supreme Court stayed proceedings in several petitions filed across the High Courts of Rajasthan, Calcutta, and Bombay. This move is aimed at streamlining the judicial process and ensuring a uniform approach to resolving the disputes related to NEET-UG 2024.
Case Title:
Xylem Learning and Ors. vs. National Testing Agency
