Paper Leak in NEET UG 2024: Supreme Court Directs NTA to Disclose Exam Details by July 10

The Supreme Court has confirmed that a paper leak in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions in 2024 is an undisputed fact. The court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to disclose the details of the exam, including the nature of the leak, the places where it occurred, and the time lag between the breach and the conduct of the exam, by July 10.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard petitions from over 20 candidates seeking relief against the alleged mismanagement of the NEET exam. The petitioners included candidates who sought a complete cancellation of the exam, while others requested individual retests in specific instances. A group of candidates from Gujarat, who had cleared the exam, moved the court, pleading that no retest be conducted.

The court’s focus was on candidates seeking an absolute retest for all candidates. The petitioners argued that the paper leak was a systemic issue, affecting the integrity of the entire examination process. They pointed out that an unprecedented number of students obtained first rank in the exam, and that some students had changed exam centers and received high marks. The court also wanted the Union and NTA to identify cases where students had high disparity between different subject scores in NEET.

Chief Justice Chandrachud observed that the paper leak is an admitted and undisputed fact, and suggested that it would be wise to identify the abnormalities or “red flags” in how the exam was conducted. He asked the court to consider whether the leak was limited to certain groups or if it spread extensively, affecting the integrity of the entire exam.

The petitioners pointed out that between 2020 and 2023, only seven students had scored 100% marks in NEET, but in 2024, 67 students achieved this feat. They also referred to a First Information Report from Patna, Bihar, where the police arrested six persons in connection with an alleged paper leak. The petitioners contended that leaked copies of question papers were circulated on Telegram on the morning of the NEET exam, and that “groups of students” memorized the answers that morning.

The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, argued for the Union, objecting to the petitioners’ claims. He stated that only one FIR out of six registered in the NEET UG controversy alleged a paper leak, and that the status report relied upon by the petitioners was not an official report by the Bihar Police.

The court directed the NTA to make full disclosures regarding the nature of the leak, the places where it occurred, and the time lag between the occurrence of the breach and the conduct of the exam. The NTA was also asked to provide information on the steps taken to identify the centers or cities where leaks took place, the modalities followed to identify beneficiaries of the leak, and the number of students identified so far as beneficiaries.

The court will hear the matter next on July 11, 2024.