Supreme Court Deliberates on NEET-UG 2024 Exam Cancellation Amidst Leaked Questions

The Supreme Court of India has emphasized that the cancellation of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 in its entirety is an “extreme last resort” due to the massive impact it would have on the lives of over 23 lakh students who took the prestigious exam for medical admissions across the country. However, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud acknowledged that the fact that questions were leaked and the exam’s sanctity was compromised is “beyond question”.

During the hearing on July 8, Chief Justice Chandrachud stressed the importance of determining the extent of the leak before ordering a retest. He noted that the court cannot live in an ideal world where there are no leaks, but a retest would have a significant impact on the students. The cancellation of the exam would only be considered if there is no other option.

The three-judge Bench, comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, criticized the Union government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) for not cooperating fully in the investigation. The court demanded that the NTA provide a full disclosure of the leak, including when and where it was first noticed, how the questions were leaked and disseminated, and the steps taken to identify the beneficiaries.

The petitioners, represented by advocates Mathew Nedumpara and Charu Mathur, argued that the credibility of the exam was lost due to the systemic fraud. They claimed it was impossible to separate the wrongdoers from the innocent students. On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, described the leaks as an instance of local malpractice and pointed out that the top 100 candidates were distributed across 95 sectors, 56 cities, and 18 states and union territories.

Chief Justice Chandrachud explained that the court’s decision on whether to order a retest would be based on settled principles of law. He emphasized that the court needs to determine if the breach is systemic, if it has affected the integrity of the entire exam process, and if it is possible to segregate the beneficiaries from the untainted students.

The Supreme Court ordered the NTA to file a reply by Thursday, providing details on the points raised by the Bench, including the status of the counselling process and the steps taken to identify the wrongdoers. The court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on the investigation and the material gathered so far.

Furthermore, the court asked the Centre to file a detailed response on the measures taken to protect the sanctity of the NEET exam and suggested setting up a multi-disciplinary committee to oversee measures to prevent future problems. The court also directed the government-appointed committee, chaired by former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, to provide full details of its work so far and consider publishing the comprehensive results, except for those under scanner, on Thursday.