Supreme Court rules against NEET re-test
The court observed that there is currently insufficient evidence to warrant a retest.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court has ruled against conducting a NEET re-test for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024. The court’s decision came after hearing a batch of petitions challenging the examination. Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, presided over the matter.
The court observed that there is currently insufficient evidence to warrant a retest. While acknowledging systemic deficiencies, the bench emphasized that the available data from the National Testing Agency (NTA) does not conclusively indicate a widespread leak of the question paper, compromising the sanctity of the exam.
Key observations by the apex court include:
- The leak of the NEET UG 2024 paper in Hazaribagh and Patna is not disputed.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted status reports on July 10, 17, and 21. Approximately 155 students from Patna and Hazaribagh appear to have benefited from the fraud.
- The court has asked the Union government to assess trends across the 4,750 examination centers in 571 cities.
- The court independently scrutinized data submitted by the NTA, including a report from IIT-Madras.
Additionally, the Supreme Court accepted IIT-Delhi’s report regarding an ambiguous question that had two different answers in separate editions of NCERT textbooks. As a result, the merit list is likely to be affected. On July 22, the court directed IIT Delhi to form a three-member panel to determine the correct answer for this contentious question. The discrepancy arose because some students relied on an older edition of the textbook, while others followed the latest edition.
Approximately 24 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 exam held on May 5 across 4,750 centers in 511 cities, including 14 centers abroad. The exam determines admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other courses, filling 1.08 lakh seats.
Chief Justice Chandrachud, during a previous hearing, questioned whether canceling the examination solely based on the localized wrongdoing (paper leak in Patna and Hazaribagh) was justified.
Last week, the Centre opposed a retest, citing data analysis by IIT-Madras that did not reveal widespread malpractice in the entrance exam.
The NTA conducts the NEET-UG, a national examination for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other relevant courses in government and private institutions across the country.
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