In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), seeking a response to a plea demanding a fresh National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate (UG) examination for 2024 due to alleged paper leaks and irregularities.
?Sanctity has been affected, we need answers,? stated the Supreme Court's vacation bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, as it addressed the petition filed by 10 NEET candidates.
The court has scheduled further hearings for July 8 but refused to halt the ongoing counselling process for admissions into MBBS, BDS, and other medical courses for successful candidates. "We will not stop the counselling. If you argue further, we will dismiss this," the court asserted.
Allegations of Malpractice and Constitutional Violations
The petitioners allege that the NEET-UG 2024 examination, held on May 5, was marred by significant malpractices, including paper leaks, which they claim violate Article 14 of the Constitution. This article guarantees the right to equality, and the petitioners argue that the leaks gave an unfair advantage to certain candidates over others who took the exam honestly.
The results of the NEET-UG 2024 were declared on June 4, but the alleged irregularities have cast a shadow over the examination's credibility.
Additional Petitions and Grace Marks Controversy
In a related matter, additional petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court concerning the NTA's decision to award grace marks to numerous candidates in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. These petitions, submitted by Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah, claim that approximately 1,500 students were randomly awarded 70 to 80 grace marks. Pandey has gathered signatures from about 20,000 students supporting the petition.
?The court has indicated that our matter will also be taken up with the other matters, but the court is clear that it will not stay the counselling process at this stage,? said Advocate J Sai Deepak, representing the petitioners.
Moving Forward
As the Supreme Court prepares for the July 8 hearing, the NTA is under significant pressure to address these allegations and provide clarity on the integrity of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The outcomes of these proceedings could have far-reaching implications for the current and future batches of medical aspirants across the country.
