NEET-UG 2024: Scrapping Entire Exam Will ‘Jeopardise’ Future of Honest Candidates – Modi Govt to SC

The Central Government has told the Supreme Court that there is no need to re-conduct the NEET-UG 2024 exam. They submitted an affidavit stating that there is no proof of widespread cheating or irregularities in the exam.

The government stressed that canceling the exam would seriously harm the future of many honest students who took the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

The Union government has also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out a thorough investigation into the alleged cheating and irregularities related to NEET-UG.

The exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is very important for students seeking admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private colleges.

The integrity of NEET-UG has been questioned due to accusations of paper leaks and other cheating methods, leading to protests and political issues. On June 11, the Supreme Court, while considering a request for a re-exam, expressed concerns about the exam’s fairness and asked for responses from the Centre and the NTA. However, it did not stop the counseling process for students who passed the exam.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear several petitions on July 8. These petitions ask for different forms of relief, including a re-test and a detailed investigation into the alleged cheating. Meanwhile, over 50 successful NEET-UG candidates from Gujarat have approached the Supreme Court, asking for an order to prevent the Centre and the NTA from canceling the exam.

This request, filed by Siddharth Komal Singla and 55 other students through lawyer Devendra Singh, argued that re-conducting NEET-UG would be unfair and harsh on hardworking students, violating their Right to Education and Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.

The plea stated, “The Hon’ble court may further direct the respondents (Centre and the NTA) not to re-conduct NEET-UG … as that would not only be unreasonable and harsh for the honest and hardworking students but also would lead to the infringement of the Right to Education and therefore violative of Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.”

The government’s delay of the NEET-PG exam and cancellation of the UGC-NET has increased scrutiny of competitive exams in India due to alleged cheating. So far, the CBI has arrested six people in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case.