sc-declines-to-halt-neet-ug-2024-counselling

The Supreme Court has once again declined to halt the counselling process for the NEET-UG 2024 examination, though it has issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam. A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti has tagged the new pleas with existing ones and scheduled a hearing for July 8.

 

On the previous day, the top court issued a notice in response to an NTA plea seeking to transfer various petitions related to NEET-UG 2024 from High Courts to the Supreme Court. This move has resulted in a stay on proceedings before different high courts.

 

The vacation bench was addressing concerns arising from allegations of question paper leaks and other malpractices during the NEET-UG exam. Despite these issues, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its stance against halting the counselling process.

 

Additionally, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and NTA concerning a petition filed by students who took the NEET-UG exam at the Meghalaya centre.

 

These students claimed they lost 45 minutes during the exam and requested inclusion among the 1,563 students who were awarded grace marks and given the option to reappear for the exam on June 23. This petition, along with others, is set for hearing on July 8.

 

The NEET-UG 2024 exam, conducted on May 5, saw its results declared on June 4, ahead of the initially scheduled date of June 14. This premature announcement sparked protests and allegations of irregularities, particularly as the results indicated that 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720. Consequently, several petitions were filed by students seeking a re-test.

 

In response to these petitions, the Supreme Court has permitted a re-test for over 1,500 students who were given grace marks. The NEET-UG exam, conducted by the NTA, is critical as it determines admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across India.

 

On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of the 1,563 candidates who received grace marks would be cancelled. These candidates were offered the option to retake the exam on June 23, with results to be announced by June 30, or to forgo the compensatory marks provided for the loss of time during the initial exam.

 

During a hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court emphasised that any negligence in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination, even as minor as 0.001 per cent, would be addressed thoroughly.

 

The vacation bench urged advocates representing the Centre and the NTA to treat any such negligence seriously, underscoring the importance of maintaining the integrity of the examination process.