Supreme Court Declines Reexamination of NEET UG 2024 Amid Allegations of Paper Leak

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to order a reexamination for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test undergraduate exam for 2024 (NEET-UG 2024), despite allegations ofquestion paper leaks and cheating.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra delivered the verdict, stating, "We are of the considered view that ordering the cancellation of the entire NEET-UG 2024 exam is neither justified on application of settled principles propounded by the decisions of this court nor on the basis of material on record"

Key takeaways from the Court's decision include:

1. Ordering the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 is unjustified.

2. Evidence of question paper leaks in Patna and Hazaribagh does not show a systemic breach affecting the sanctity of NEET. The Court remarked,"At the present stage there is absence of material on the record sufficient to lead to the conclusion that the result of the examination stands vitiated or that there is a systemic breach of the sanctity of the examination.”

3. Acceptance of IIT Delhi committee's finding on a controversial question, directing the National Testing Agency (NTA) to re-tally the NEET-UG results accordingly.

4. Students with individual grievances can approach the High Court after withdrawing their petitions from the Supreme Court.

5. The Central government may issue further directions to a seven-member expert committee to ensure the conduct of NEET-UG is strengthened. The NEET-UG exam this year faced allegations of mass question paper leaks and cheating, prompting several candidates to seek a reexamination from the Supreme Court. However, others opposed a retest, including the Central government and the NTA.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta reiterated the NTA's stance, stating,"There is no widespread leak of the NEET paper across India."; He emphasized the distribution of top 100 students across multiple centers and cities, indicating no significant variance in success rates compared to previous years. "See the success rates in Bihar, Patna, and Belgavi. The success rate matches earlier years" he highlighted.

The Court acknowledged that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter is ongoing. The Bench added that action could be taken against tainted candidates or beneficiaries of malpractice, even after completing the college counseling process. “No student who is revealed to have been part of fraud or a beneficiary of malpractices would be entitled to claim any vested right in continuance of admission”, the Court stated.

Directing a fresh NEET-UG, the Court observed, would have serious consequences for over 24 lakh students, disrupt the admission schedule, and impact the availability of qualified medical professionals. It would also disadvantage marginalized students who benefit from reservation policies.

Despite the refusal to order a retest, the Court clarified that individual students with grievances could seek relief from the concerned High Court. During the hearing, the Court quizzed the SG about the distribution of question paper sets stored in Canara Bank, meant as backups, which were mistakenly used for the exam. The SG admitted this was a human error and assured the Court that the Canara Bank papers were equally difficult as those stored at SBI.

Senior Advocates Hooda and Sanjay Hegde expressed doubts over the CBI's hypothesis of the question paper leak, suggesting a more widespread issue than the CBI indicated. Hegde argued,"For that uncertain chance of two hours, which parent will pay 30 to 75 lakhs in advance"Hooda emphasized,"This examination cannot be sustained...especially when the handiwork is of a gang operating inter-State”

The Supreme Court's decision underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of national examinations while balancing the need for fairness and accountability.

Author: Anushka Taraniya
News Writer