The Supreme Court has recently issued a notice regarding new petitions from the National Testing Agency, or NTA, concerning the NEET-UG exam. These petitions aim to transfer ongoing cases from the Rajasthan High Court related to allegations of a paper leak to the Supreme Court.
The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, led a bench that decided to combine these new transfer requests with existing cases that are scheduled for a hearing on July 18.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court, which included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, chose not to issue a formal order to pause the current cases at the Rajasthan High Court.
The court remarked that generally, when a notice is issued, the high court does not move forward with its proceedings. This decision was made despite the NTA’s request for a stay on the high court cases.
Earlier in June, the Supreme Court had already paused proceedings in various high courts regarding the NEET-UG paper leak allegations. This action allowed NTA to withdraw other requests aimed at transferring petitions concerning the awarding of compensatory marks for candidates who had experienced time loss during the exam.
On June 13, the Supreme Court resolved issues related to granting grace marks in the NEET-UG exam. This was after the NTA indicated that scorecards for 1,563 candidates, who received compensatory marks, had been cancelled.
Those candidates were given two options: they could take a re-test scheduled for June 23 or participate in counselling based on their actual exam scores without any normalisation.
Additionally, the Central Government submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, revealing that data analysis performed by IIT Madras found no evidence of widespread malpractice during the NEET-UG exam held on May 5 this year. The analysis indicated that no specific group of candidates benefited from unusually high scores.
As the situation develops, all eyes are on the Supreme Court to see how these matters will unfold in the coming weeks. The issues surrounding the NEET-UG exam have generated considerable interest and concern among students and educational authorities alike. The outcome of the hearings will likely have significant implications for future examinations and the integrity of the examination process in India.
The ongoing legal challenges related to the NEET-UG exam highlight the complexities involved in administering large-scale testing in a fair and transparent manner. Stakeholders, including students, educators, and policymakers, await clarity from the highest court in the country as it addresses these pressing issues.
Follow us
