NEET UG 2024 SC Hearing Live Updates: Will there be a re-test? Centre submits affidavit, Supreme Court’s verdict today

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict today on the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024, amidst allegations of paper leaks and irregularities. The Centre has submitted an affidavit opposing a re-test, citing a report from IIT Madras that refutes claims of widespread malpractices or cheating at select centers. The report, attached to the Centre’s affidavit, states that there is no indication of mass malpractice or localized groups of candidates benefiting from abnormal scores.

The Supreme Court had sought responses from the Union and National Testing Agency (NTA) on the extent of the paper leak and the separation of wrongdoers from honest candidates. The Court had suggested that if the integrity of the entire exam has been compromised, making it impossible to distinguish between fraudulent and honest candidates, a re-test may be necessary. However, the Centre has argued that a re-test would have a significant impact on nearly 24 lakh students.

The Education Ministry, in its affidavit, acknowledged instances of irregularities, cheating, impersonation, and malpractices during the conduct of NEET UG, but did not mention a paper leak. The affidavit further stated that in the absence of any proof of a large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud-led bench had scheduled the next session for July 11, stating that it would decide on the merits after the government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Testing Agency (NTA) submit their responses to the court’s queries. The NTA and the CBI were instructed to file their affidavits by 5 pm on July 10 and provide copies to the petitioners.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to disclose specific details regarding their investigation into the examination leak. The NTA has been asked to provide information on the steps taken to identify the centers or cities where the leak occurred, the methodologies followed for identifying the beneficiaries, and the number of students identified so far as beneficiaries of the leak.

The Centre’s affidavit, based on data analytics conducted by IIT-Madras, concluded that there were no indications of widespread cheating or specific groups of candidates gaining unfair advantage through abnormal scores. The distribution of marks followed a typical bell-shaped curve common in large-scale examinations, indicating no irregularities.

Chief Justice Chandrachud acknowledged that a leak occurred in the NEET UG 2024 examination, but stated that ordering a re-test hinges on determining if the breach was systemic and impacted the entire process, and whether it is possible to distinguish the beneficiaries of the fraud from the untainted students. “The fact that the sanctity of the examination has been breached… compromised, is beyond doubt. Now the question is how widespread is the breach,” he remarked during the hearing.

The upcoming counselling process for the NEET-UG 2024, scheduled to start in the third week of July, will be conducted in four rounds. Authorities have warned that any candidate found guilty of malpractice will face immediate cancellation of their candidature. This measure will be enforced at any stage during the counseling process or even after its conclusion.

Stay tuned for live updates from the Supreme Court hearing as the verdict is delivered today.