NEET-UG 2024 row: Supreme Court to hear over 30 pleas related to irregularities in exam today

NEET-UG 2024 row: The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of petitions on Monday concerning the contentious NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance examination. These petitions, which include allegations of irregularities and malpractices during the May 5 test, are calling for the exam to be conducted afresh. According to the information, the matter will be heard around 11:30 am - 12 noon or can be delayed too as the court is opening today after summer vacation and there will be a number of mentionings before CJI’s bench. The Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for administering NEET-UG, have recently informed the apex court that cancelling the exam would be "counterproductive" and would "seriously jeopardise" the futures of numerous honest candidates, especially given the lack of evidence for a large-scale breach of confidentiality.

CJI-led bench to hear the matter

The court's cause list for July 8, available on its website, indicates that a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will review 38 petitions related to the exam. The NTA and the Union Education Ministry have been central to media debates and protests by students and political parties, with accusations of widespread malpractices such as question paper leaks and impersonation during the May 5 test.

What did govt say in its petition?

The Union education ministry and the NTA have filed separate affidavits in the apex court, opposing the pleas which have sought scrapping of the exam, a re-test and a court-monitored probe into the entire gamut of issues involved. In their responses, they have said the CBI, the country's premier investigating agency, has taken over the cases registered in different states. "It is also submitted that at the same time, in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared," the Centre said in its preliminary affidavit filed by a director in the ministry of education.

What NTA said in its petition?

The NTA, in its separate affidavit, reiterated the Centre's stand and said, "The cancellation of the entire examination on the basis of the aforesaid factor, would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates. The agency said the entirety of the NEET-UG 2024 exam was carried out fairly and with due confidentiality without any illegal practices, and the claim of "mass malpractice" during the exam is "completely unfounded, misleading, and lacks any basis".

The government said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to suggest effective measures for conducting transparent, smooth and fair examinations by the NTA. The affidavit said the panel shall make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvement in data security protocols and structure, and functioning of the National Testing Agency. Allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political parties.

NEET-UG exam 2024

The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. The Centre and the NTA had on June 13 told the top court that they had cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and other such courses. The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared for it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.

(With inputs from agencies)