NEET-UG 2024: Legal battle heats up, SC denies urgent probe request

The Supreme Court declined to immediately hear a plea seeking CBI and ED investigation into alleged NEET-UG 2024 irregularities

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday refused to hear a petition seeking a probe by central investigative agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. Instead, the court scheduled the petitioner's arguments for the next hearing on July 8.

The petitioner had urgently requested an investigation into the NEET-UG controversy, proposing that the accused be prosecuted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, the Supreme Court decided against adjudicating on the matter at this stage.

Earlier, on June 20, the Supreme Court had halted all ongoing cases across various High Courts related to alleged leaks and malpractices surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti issued notices upon petitions from the National Testing Agency (NTA) to consolidate all NEET-related pleas pending in seven High Courts and adjudicate them collectively in the Supreme Court. The next hearing has been fixed for July 8.

Additionally, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and the NTA in response to petitions seeking the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 and requesting a court-monitored investigation into alleged irregularities in the medical entrance test.

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court considered a total of 14 petitions, including 10 filed by 49 students and the Student Federation of India, and the remaining four filed by the NTA.

Previously, on June 19, the Supreme Court had refused to stay NEET counselling and declined to instruct the CBI to initiate an investigation into alleged paper leaks and misconduct.

The NEET-UG 2024 examination was conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centres, with approximately 2.4 million candidates appearing for the medical entrance test.