The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing for July 18 on a series of petitions alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam, which was held on May 5.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, postponed the hearing to give the petitioners time to respond to affidavits filed by the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The court noted that some parties in the case had not received the affidavits and needed time to prepare their responses before the arguments. On July 11, the Central government filed an affidavit denying any mass malpractice in the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
According to the affidavit, data analytics conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras indicated no evidence of mass malpractice or any localised set of candidates benefitting from abnormal scores.
The affidavit also stated that counselling for the exam would commence in four rounds starting from the third week of July. It assured that if any candidate was found to have benefitted from malpractice, their candidature would be cancelled at any stage during or after the counselling process.
The NTA, in its affidavit, claimed that a video showing a photo of the NEET-UG exam paper leaked on Telegram on May 4 was fake, asserting that the timestamp had been manipulated to create a false impression of an early leak.
The NTA further mentioned that it had analysed the distribution of marks at national, state, city, and centre levels, concluding that the distribution appeared normal with no extraneous factors influencing it.
The apex court was addressing a batch of pleas seeking the recall of NEET-UG 2024 results and a fresh examination, citing allegations of paper leakage and malpractices. The petitioners raised concerns about the leakage of the question paper, the awarding of compensatory marks, and anomalies in the NEET-UG exam.
The NEET-UG exam, conducted by the NTA, is the primary pathway for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India. The 2024 exam took place on May 5 across 4,750 centres, with approximately 24 lakh candidates appearing for it.
The controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam has created significant anxiety among the aspirants and their families. Allegations of malpractice and the potential need for a re-examination have added to the stress of the students, who are already under immense pressure due to the competitive nature of the exam.
The Supreme Court's decision to adjourn the hearing allows for a thorough examination of the affidavits and responses, ensuring that justice is served and the integrity of the examination process is upheld.
As the next hearing approaches, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court to see how it addresses the allegations and what measures it proposes to ensure a fair and transparent examination process. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for the NEET-UG exam and the future of medical education in India.
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