Supreme Court asks centre to explain how NEET paper was solved in 45 minutes before exam

On Thursday, the Supreme Court reviewed several petitions requesting either a re-test or the cancellation of the 2024 NEET-UG exam, which is for admission to undergraduate medical programs. The Court expressed concerns regarding the positions of both the Center and the National Testing Agency (NTA)—the organization responsible for administering the exam—regarding a paper leak that reportedly occurred just 45 minutes before the exam began at some locations.

The results of the 2024 NEET-UG exam, conducted on May 5 and taken by almost 24 lakh medical aspirants, have been marred by accusations of leaked question papers and the improper awarding of ‘grace marks.’

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the NTA, reported that the CBI’s investigation revealed that an unauthorized individual photographed the question papers at a center in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, between 8 AM and 9:20 AM on the exam day. The CBI is handling the investigation into this matter.

A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud questioned whether it would have been possible to solve all 180 questions within 45 minutes, considering the exam began at 10:15 AM. In response, Mr. Mehta explained that the gang involved had seven members who split the questions among themselves.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said, “The whole hypothesis that within 45 minutes there was a breach and the entire paper was solved and given to students seems very far-fetched.”

Challenges in NEET-UG 2024 Examination Process

The question papers were solved by the gang, and the answers were then provided to students who allegedly paid them, allowing these students to memorize the solutions.

At the beginning of the proceedings, the bench, which included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that the petitions were being given priority over other cases due to their “social ramifications” and the large number of students awaiting the outcome. After a full day of arguments, the next hearing was scheduled for July 22.

Senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing some of the petitioners, strongly argued for the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024, citing “systemic failure” in its administration. He alleged that the handling of the question papers was compromised, as they were reportedly kept by a private courier company in Hazaribagh for six days. Alarmingly, he claimed that the papers were transported to an exam center in an e-rickshaw, and the principal of that center was later arrested for alleged involvement in the scheme.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, dismissed any claims of a NEET-UG 2024 paper leak and noted that the CBI had thoroughly investigated the entire process “from printer to center.”

He remarked, “How the sealing happened… how GPS tracking happened… There is a seven-layer security system.” The court then inquired of Mr. Mehta. “Mr. Solicitor, did you engage a private courier company to dispatch the NEET papers?” The Solicitor General chose to respond at a later time.

Concerns about the transportation of the papers arose after the CBI indicated a potential leak—either during the transit to the centers or after they reached a school in Hazaribagh. During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasized that it would only mandate a re-test for NEET-UG 2024 if the “sanctity” of the May 5 exam was severely compromised due to leaked questions. This stance echoed the court’s earlier remarks, where it acknowledged that the exam’s “sanctity” was indeed impacted and sought explanations. However, at that time, the court had advised against a re-test, noting that certain factors would argue against it.

Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed senior advocate Narender Hooda, who represented the petitioners, and said, “You have to show us that the leak was systematic… that it affected the entire examination… so as to warrant cancellation of the entire exam.”

Mr. Hooda informed the court that approximately 23.33 lakh students took the exam for about 1.08 lakh seats in government and private medical colleges. The bench responded, “Merely because out of 23.33 lakh, only 1.08 lakh students will get admission, we cannot order a re-test. Re-examination has to be on a concrete footing that the entire exam is affected.”

Controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 emerged last month with allegations of a leaked question paper, leading to inquiries that revealed the leak was orchestrated by a national’solver gang’ network on social media. Initial concerns were raised by the unusually high number of perfect scores, with a record 67 students, including six from a single coaching center, achieving a maximum score of 720.

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