The Union government on Friday expressed its opposition to re-conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exam in its submission to the Supreme Court. The Education Ministry, in an affidavit filed on Thursday, argued that cancelling the exam would unfairly impact the majority of honest candidates who took the exam, The Indian Express reported.
While the Ministry acknowledged instances of irregularities, cheating, impersonation, and other malpractices, it emphasized the absence of evidence indicating a large-scale breach of confidentiality.
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The affidavit stressed that scrapping the entire examination would jeopardize the efforts of the lakhs of honest candidates who participated in the 2024 exam. It highlighted the competing rights of students, stating that the interests of those who took the exam fairly must be protected.
This submission marks the first formal statement by the Union government regarding a potential retest for NEET-UG 2024. Previously, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had acknowledged the inconvenience caused to candidates but did not clarify the government’s stance on holding a retest.
The Bihar government, in its communication to the Education Ministry, suggested that their probe indicated a paper leak. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar matched 68 questions from the burnt remains of a photocopy with the original question paper provided by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Also Read: Principal, vice principal of Jharkhand school arrested in NEET-UG paper leak scam
On May 4, the Jharkhand Police alerted Bihar Police about a potential paper leak. The Patna police received specific leads about suspects on May 5 and conducted multiple raids, discovering a burnt question paper at a house in Rajbanshi Nagar and arresting several suspects, including examinees and individuals involved in setting the paper.
Bihar’s EOU handed over all evidence and case diaries to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has taken over the probe at the request of the Education Ministry.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions alleging irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG on May 5, addressing concerns raised by various stakeholders about the fairness and integrity of the examination process. The Union government’s affidavit underscores the complexity of balancing the interests of honest candidates against the need to address and rectify exam malpractices. The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision will be crucial in determining the future course of action regarding NEET-UG 2024.
