NEET UG 2024 Paper Leak: Supreme Court Raises Serious Concerns, Demands Transparency

The Supreme Court has expressed grave concerns over the recent NEET UG 2024 paper leak, stating that the sanctity of the exam has been compromised. Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, while hearing petitions related to the exam irregularities, emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the leak and its impact on the 23 lakh students who appeared for the exam.

The court has questioned the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre on various aspects of the paper leak, including the extent of the leak, how it was disseminated, and the actions taken to identify the beneficiaries of the wrongdoing. The CJI has sought answers on how the NTA sends question papers for printing, how they are distributed, and whether the leak occurred on the day of the exam or before.

The Supreme Court has also asked the NTA to provide information on the percentile distribution across categories, the distribution of marks, and how many students’ results have been withheld due to the paper leak. The court wants to know if the exam pattern was comparatively easier this year compared to last year and how many people benefited from the question paper leak.

The bench has observed that if the sanctity of the exam is lost and the leak has been propagated through social media, a re-test has to be ordered. However, the court has stressed that a re-test can only be ordered if there is sufficient time between the leak of the questions and the conduct of the exam.

The court has also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on its investigations into the paper leak FIRs by Wednesday. The NTA and Centre have been asked to answer all the queries raised by the court, and a decision on a re-test will be taken based on their responses.

The matter will be heard again on July 11, and the court has asked the NTA and Centre to provide the required information within the next three days. Advocate Shwetank, representing the petitioners, has stated that the Supreme Court has raised crucial questions that need to be answered by the NTA and Union Government.

The CJI has also sought to know how the paper was transported, when it was sent to the examination centre, and when it was distributed to the students. The court has observed that if segregation is possible, re-examination may not be mandatory.

The NTA has claimed that the paper leak occurred at a minuscule level, but the CBI is investigating six cases with FIRs registered in various states. The Supreme Court has demanded transparency and accountability from the authorities involved in the exam process.