NEET-UG 2024 Row: Supreme Court to Hear Over 30 Petitions Today on Re-Examination

The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a series of petitions related to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 medical entrance examination on Monday. A special bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra will consider 38 petitions filed by students and others, seeking a re-conduct of the exam due to alleged irregularities and malpractices during the test held on May 5.

The NEET-UG examination is a crucial gateway for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other medical courses in both public and private institutions across India. The controversy surrounding the exam has sparked widespread concerns, with many calling for a re-examination to ensure the integrity of the test.

In a recent move, the Centre has sought the help of state governments to address the issue of paper leaks and malpractices in national examinations. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla held a meeting with chief secretaries and Directors-General of Police (DGPs) from all states to discuss measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Bhalla emphasized the need for heightened surveillance and safety measures, suggesting that each exam centre should have both a civil observer and a police observer appointed by the respective governments.

The NEET-UG counselling session, which was scheduled to begin on July 6, has been indefinitely postponed. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had earlier notified the Supreme Court of the counselling process, but the decision has been put on hold due to the ongoing controversy.

The Congress party has demanded a re-examination of the NEET-UG medical entrance exam, urging for a comprehensive investigation into all alleged ‘paper leak scams’ under the supervision of the Supreme Court. In response, the Centre and the NTA have informed the Supreme Court that cancelling the exam without concrete evidence of a significant confidentiality breach would be counterproductive and could ‘seriously jeopardise’ the prospects of many honest candidates.

The Centre has assigned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into all claims of irregularities, while a high-level committee of experts has been established to recommend improvements for the effective administration of exams by the NTA. The committee has convened four times so far.

In a separate affidavit, the NTA has denied allegations of mass malpractice during the exam, stating that the entire examination was carried out fairly and with due confidentiality. The agency has also clarified that the allocation of ‘grace marks’ to 1,563 students was not included in the exam protocol.

The controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam erupted last month following the announcement of the May 5 exam results, which saw participation from around 2.4 million students. Concerns were raised due to an unprecedented number of perfect scores, with 67 students achieving the highest possible score of 720. Additionally, concerns were voiced regarding the allocation of ‘grace marks’ to 1,563 students.

A retest was conducted for 1,563 students last month, but only 813 attended the examination. Students who missed the retest will retain their original scores without any additional marks. The re-examination took place at seven locations, with varying attendance rates across states. In Chandigarh, neither of the two eligible candidates attended the retest, while in Chhattisgarh, 219 out of 602 eligible students participated. In Gujarat, only one student took the test, and in Haryana, 287 out of 494 eligible candidates attended. In Meghalaya, 234 out of 464 eligible students participated.