Scrapping NEET-UG not rational: Centre asks SC not to jeopardise med exam

NEET row: The central government told the Supreme Court that no widespread irregularities were found in the medical entrance exam

The central government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that scrapping the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) entirely would not be rational, despite the exam facing allegations of irregularities. The government further emphasised that despite the controversy there were no “large-scale irregularities” in the exam, which saw 2.4 million students appear.

These were submitted to the top court in an affidavit.

The affidavit submitted by the Centre stated that following the uproar the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had been tasked with investigating all allegations of irregularities. A High Level Committee of Experts had also been formed to suggest measures for effective exam conduct by the National Testing Agency (NTA). So far four meetings have been held by this committee.

The committee has since then come to the conclusion that there was no evidence of a widespread breach of confidentiality in the examination, therefore, scrapping the entire exam would jeopardise the efforts of honest candidates who took the test in 2024.

Additionally, to ensure transparency and fairness in public examinations, the Parliament enacted the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024, effective from June 21, 2024. The Act provides stringent punishments for offences related to unfair practices in public exams.

NEET row 2024

The NEET exam was conducted by the NTA on May 5, 2024, from 2 pm to 5:20 pm IST. The exam took place at 4,750 centres across 571 cities, including 14 international cities, with over 2.4 million candidates appearing.

A controversy erupted over an alleged paper leak and the "inflation of marks" for 1,563 students who were compensated for time lost during the exam.

Complaints came from students at centres in states like Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Surat, and Chandigarh about not getting the full exam duration due to administrative issues.

Problems included the distribution of wrong question papers, torn OMR sheets, and delays in OMR sheet distribution.

When the results were announced on June 4, there was an uproar, with several aspirants and parents demanding a re-exam and alleging a paper leak at certain centres.
 

States demand NEET exam repeal

Mass protests broke out, and politicians demanded action from the Central government. Multiple petitions seeking a fresh examination were filed in high courts and the Supreme Court.

Tamil Nadu, which has been critical of the NEET exam, passed a resolution to scrap the exam in the state, pending the President's approval.

Other state governments have also called for scrapping NEET and reverting to the previous system where states conducted their own medical entrance exams. The Supreme Court’s decision on this matter will significantly impact the future of medical entrance examinations in India, amid ongoing debates and demands from various stakeholders.

(With agency inputs)