On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) in response to a petition seeking to cancel the results of the NEET-UG 2024 exam amid allegations of a paper leak. The NEET-UG is a highly competitive entrance exam for undergraduate medical courses.
The court emphasized that the sanctity of the examination had been compromised and demanded answers from the NTA. “It is not that simple… that because you have done it (held the exam) it is sacrosanct,” the court remarked. “Sanctity of (the examination) has been affected… so we need answers.”
Despite the ongoing controversy, Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah stated that counselling for admissions would continue. “We are not stopping counselling,” the justices declared. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on July 8 and will be addressed alongside a plea before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
The court was addressing a fresh petition amidst the ongoing dispute over the NEET-UG 2024 results, which include claims of discrepancies in scores and allegations of preferential treatment towards certain students. The petition called for the cancellation of the May 5 exam results and requested a new exam to be conducted.
The petitioners, hailing from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, cited inconsistencies in the awarding of grace marks, arguing that there was “no defined logic” and drawing attention to “statistically impossible” scores, including perfect scores of 720 out of 720. They highlighted that 67 students from a single coaching center achieved full marks and that over 13,000 students contested a provisional answer key released by the NTA, which suggested a different correct answer.
The petitioners criticized the lack of transparency regarding the awarding of grace marks, stating, “There has been no defined logic for grace marks given (and) no list has been shared as per given grace marks. Moreover, the reason for awarding grace marks is ‘wastage of time’… but this was never disclosed in the information bulletin before the exam.”
The plea underscored the severe implications of cheating in a medical entrance exam, warning, “This field requires a deep understanding of scientific and medical knowledge… cheating or using unfair means to pass an exam can lead to a lack of competence and endanger lives of patients.” The petitioners also argued that cheating undermines meritocracy and equal opportunities, perpetuating inequalities and disadvantaging those who rely on hard work and merit.
In a related development, the NTA has decided to form a high-powered committee to review grievances from 1,600 students who have already appeared for the NEET 2024 exam.
On May 17, while a bench led by the Chief Justice was hearing a similar plea, the court issued a notice but did not halt the declaration of results.
