NEET-UG 2024 row: SC to hear over 30 petitions today on re-exam; updates

The Supreme Court is set to address a series of petitions concerning the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance examination on Monday. Among the pleas are requests for a re-conduct of the exam, citing irregularities and malpractices in the test held on May 5.

A panel headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will consider 38 petitions linked to the examination, which serves as a nationwide gateway for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other medical courses in both public and private institutions throughout India.

NEET-UG paper leak scam: Centre seeks help from states

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla recently held a meeting with chief secretaries and Directors-General of Police (DGPs) from all states to address the oversight and security of national examinations. The move is aimed at restoring public trust in the integrity of these exams. Bhalla stressed the necessity of heightened surveillance and safety measures, and suggested that each exam centre should have both a civil observer and a police observer appointed by the respective governments.

NEET-UG counselling deferred

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) counselling session has been postponed indefinitely, with no new date announced. Previously, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had notified the Supreme Court that the counselling process would begin on July 6.

Congress demands re-exam

On Saturday, the Congress party called for a re-examination of the NEET-UG medical entrance exam and urged for a comprehensive investigation into all alleged ‘paper leak scams’ under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

In response to increasing demands for the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 due to alleged malpractices, the Centre and the National Testing Agency informed the Supreme Court on Friday that cancelling the exam without concrete evidence of a significant confidentiality breach would be counterproductive and could ‘seriously jeopardise’ the prospects of many honest candidates.

The Centre’s affidavit revealed that in response to the controversy, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been assigned to look into all claims of irregularities. Additionally, a high-level committee of experts has been established to recommend improvements for the effective administration of exams by the NTA. This committee has convened four times thus far.

NTA’s affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court

In a separate affidavit, the NTA said, “The cancellation of the entire examination … would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates.” The agency said the entirety of the NEET-UG 2024 exam was carried out fairly and with due confidentiality without any illegal practices, and the claim of ‘mass malpractice’ during the exam is “completely unfounded, misleading, and lacks any basis”.

NEET-UG 2024 row

The controversy erupted last month following the announcement of the May 5 NEET exam results, which saw participation from around 2.4 million students. Concerns were raised due to an unprecedented number of perfect scores; a record 67 students, including six from a single coaching centre, achieved the highest possible score of 720.

Furthermore, concerns were voiced regarding the allocation of ‘grace marks’ to 1,563 students, an action that the NTA clarified was not included in the exam protocol.

NEET-UG 2024: Only 813 candidates appear for retest

Last month, a retest was conducted for 1,563 students. Out of these, only 813 attended the NEET-UG re-examination. Students who missed the retest will retain their original scores without any additional marks. The re-examination, mandated by a Supreme Court order, took place at seven locations. In Chandigarh, neither of the two eligible candidates attended. In Chhattisgarh, 219 out of 602 eligible students participated, while in Gujarat, only one student took the test.

In Haryana, 287 out of 494 eligible candidates attended the re-examination, and in Meghalaya, 234 out of 464 eligible students participated.