No Systemic Failure in NEET-UG 2024, Isolated Instances of Paper Leak and Unfair Means: NTA to Supreme Court, Opposes Exam Cancellation

The National Testing Agency (NTA), like the Union Government, has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The NTA argued that the alleged malpractices were isolated incidents limited to exam centers in Patna and Godhra. Canceling the entire exam, they said, would be “highly detrimental to the larger public interest” of the many students who took the test.

The NTA emphasized that these malpractices did not affect the exam’s integrity or give any unfair advantage to students at these centers. They pointed out that the NEET-UG 2024, taken by 23 lakh students at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, did not suffer from a “systemic failure.” The exam was not compromised by these isolated incidents of cheating and paper leaks.

The NTA’s affidavit stated that the performance of students at the affected centers was neither unusually high nor significantly different from the national average. The data showed that students from these centers did not score high enough to gain admission to top medical colleges.

Regarding the Patna center, the NTA explained that the cheating method involved sneaking out a copy of the question paper to solve and provide answers to certain candidates. However, the number of students who benefited from this was very small.

The NTA argued that the alleged paper leak did not impact the overall exam, as only a few students were involved. Canceling the entire exam based on this would be counterproductive and harmful to the career prospects of the many honest students.

At the Godhra center, the malpractice was allegedly orchestrated by Deputy Superintendent of Examination, Mr. Tushar Bhatt, who conspired with some students to fill their OMR sheets after the exam. The NTA noted that this issue was addressed promptly, and the accused was arrested.

The NTA highlighted the steps taken to ensure the exam was conducted fairly, including issuing DO Letters to state and district officials for security measures and using Aadhaar authentication to prevent impersonation. They also mentioned that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the alleged malpractices, and a conclusive opinion on any systemic failure can only be made after this investigation.

The NTA has withheld the results of students involved in malpractices and issued show-cause notices for penal action. They cited a previous Supreme Court case, Sachin Kumar & Ors Vs DSSSB & Ors, which stated that innocent students should not suffer due to the actions of a few wrongdoers.

The affidavit was filed in response to a petition by Vanshika Yadav, which called for the NEET-UG exams to be conducted again due to the alleged malpractices. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, issued a notice on the petition but stated that the results of the exams held nationwide cannot be stayed. The Union Government also filed an affidavit opposing the cancellation, arguing that scrapping the entire exam without proof of a large-scale breach would harm the many honest candidates.

Case Details: Vanshika Yadav v. UOI W.P.(C) No. 000335 - / 2024