Page 2 - Neet Ug

Monsoon Session of Parliament ends; 11 Bills passed in both Houses

The Monsoon Session began on July 20 amid protests over Neet-UG irregularities and student demands; the government had scheduled 19 sittings through August 13

Neet stir: SC to hear plea against Delhi Police's use of facial recognition

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea filed by a Rajya Sabha lawmaker challenging the alleged deployment of facial recognition technology and other biometric surveillance measures by Delhi Police during the recent student protest at Jantar Mantar here. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the matter be tagged with earlier petitions on the issue. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim, said there are two issues which are a matter of concern-facial recognition of protestors done by Delhi police and data stored by private companies. "One maps your face and one is a vehicle. So spectacles are used and a vehicle is also used. And that data is all taken without permission. These private entities host the data. In violation of the rules," she submitted. The bench said it would hear the petition along with other related matters. Rahim, who is member of the Rajya Sabha from Kerala for the Commu

Amit Shah says ready to answer all questions during debate, Oppn unmoved

The government's efforts for a debate on the students' agitation in the Lok Sabha on the penultimate day of the Monsoon session came to nought with the opposition rejecting Home Minister Amit Shah's proposal for a two-day discussion on the NEET paper leaks and other issues followed by a reply from him. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju suggested that the Monsoon Session could be extended if the opposition agrees to a discussion on Thursday. "Extension of the session is a very small matter. We are saying that even if Congress says at 11 am tomorrow that it is ready for discussion, we will extend the time," he said while responding to a query during a media interaction. Sources said the options of extending the session or a special sitting or special session are open but everything depends on the opposition's cooperation. The fast-paced developments -- which finally ended with the House being adjourned for the day -- kicked off with Shah first daring the opposition to submi

Neet paper leak case: Delhi court takes cognisance of CBI chargesheet

A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the CBI's chargesheet in the NEET paper leak case. Special Judge Ajay Gupta took cognisance of the agency's final report against 13 accused. The CBI recently submitted its final report before the designated fast-track court dealing with "criminal cases arising from paper leaks as well as the use of other unfair means in public examinations". The court is likely to begin hearing the arguments on charges from Thursday. During the proceedings, the agency informed the court that some witnesses whose names are being published in the media could even be minors, and portions of the chargesheet are continuously being published in newspapers. The court expressed displeasure over the media publishing the names of witnesses in the case. It said, "This is very shocking Whatever has not yet been stated in court and is currently part of the chargesheet All of that being made public in the media is extremely shocking. It said that a responsible med

Neet paper leak case: Delhi court takes cognisance of CBI chargesheet

A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the CBI's chargesheet in the NEET paper leak case. Special Judge Ajay Gupta took cognisance of the agency's final report against 13 accused. The CBI recently submitted its final report before the designated fast-track court dealing with "criminal cases arising from paper leaks as well as the use of other unfair means in public examinations". The court is likely to begin hearing the arguments on charges from Thursday. During the proceedings, the agency informed the court that some witnesses whose names are being published in the media could even be minors, and portions of the chargesheet are continuously being published in newspapers. The court expressed displeasure over the media publishing the names of witnesses in the case. It said, "This is very shocking Whatever has not yet been stated in court and is currently part of the chargesheet All of that being made public in the media is extremely shocking. It said that a responsible med

New education secy gets tough reform syllabus amid exam turmoil

The new higher education secretary takes charge amid examination reforms, student unrest and efforts to address long-standing challenges in India's education system

Neet-UG 2026 paper leak: Court rejects accused's plea for polygraph tests

The Rouse Avenue Court rejected the plea of three accused in the Neet-UG 2026 paper leak case seeking polygraph, brain-mapping and lie-detector tests; cognisance order deferred to August 12

Neet-UG 2026 paper leak: Court rejects accused's plea for polygraph tests

The Rouse Avenue Court rejected the plea of three accused in the Neet-UG 2026 paper leak case seeking polygraph, brain-mapping and lie-detector tests; cognisance order deferred to August 12

Alliances, infighting and more: The battle for 2027 begins in five states

As five states gear up for elections in February-March 2027, parties are busy writing the first drafts of their campaign scripts. Archis Mohan reports

When an algorithm silences a PM: The case for real platform accountability

PM Modi's deleted social media post highlights the need for transparency, due process and accountability from Big Tech platforms over content moderation

Best of BS Opinion: India must hold the line on climate action

Today's opinions examine India's climate diplomacy lessons, vaccine resistance amid medical advances, AI's real-world limitations, RSS outreach to Gen Z and the growing threat of cognitive warfare

CBI alleges pre-planned Neet-UG 2026 paper leak involving NTA experts

In its chargesheet, the agency has claimed that 3 NTA-appointed subject experts were part of the conspiracy and allegedly misused their official roles to leak confidential examination material

CBI alleges pre-planned Neet-UG 2026 paper leak involving NTA experts

In its chargesheet, the agency has claimed that 3 NTA-appointed subject experts were part of the conspiracy and allegedly misused their official roles to leak confidential examination material

NEET Counselling 2026: How to register for Round 1 Choice Filling Window

NEET UG Counselling 2026 choice-filling window for the first round will open today, Aug 6, 2026. Registered candidates must select their preferred course and college for allotment at mcc.nic.in

Best of BS Opinion: Inflation projections demand monetary tightening

Today's opinions examine the RBI's inflation dilemma, rising life insurance surrenders, India's employment crisis, possible UPI charges and the shift from food to nutrition security

Undertaken comprehensive overhaul to prevent Neet paper leaks: Centre to SC

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it has undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to eliminate paper leaks and systemic failures. In a compliance affidavit filed before a bench headed by Justice P S Narasimha, the Ministry of Education said the reforms are aimed at creating a robust and institutionalised system that preserves institutional memory, strengthens examination security and prevents future incidents of paper leaks or other malpractices. The affidavit was filed in response to the apex court's May 29 direction asking the Union government to explain how future NEET examinations would be conducted and how regulatory authorities would build and retain institutional memory to improve examination processes over successive years. The government said that while the Ministry of Education oversees the National Testing Agency, NEET is conducted by the NTA on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the

Undertaken comprehensive overhaul to prevent Neet paper leaks: Centre to SC

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it has undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to eliminate paper leaks and systemic failures. In a compliance affidavit filed before a bench headed by Justice P S Narasimha, the Ministry of Education said the reforms are aimed at creating a robust and institutionalised system that preserves institutional memory, strengthens examination security and prevents future incidents of paper leaks or other malpractices. The affidavit was filed in response to the apex court's May 29 direction asking the Union government to explain how future NEET examinations would be conducted and how regulatory authorities would build and retain institutional memory to improve examination processes over successive years. The government said that while the Ministry of Education oversees the National Testing Agency, NEET is conducted by the NTA on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the

Best of BS Opinion: India must align ESG disclosures with global standards

Today's opinions examine PVC import restrictions, India's judicial backlog, reforms to ESG disclosures, digital inequalities in Neet and what Google searches reveal about society

6 Neet-UG candidates move SC over alleged discrepancies in OMR sheets

Six NEET-UG candidates approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday alleging discrepancies between the answers they had marked in their OMR sheets during the examination and the copies of those sheets made available by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The plea was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking an early hearing before the commencement of the counselling process. The lawyer told a bench comprising Chief Justice Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana that the case pertains to six students who secured more than 600 and 650 marks but claim that the OMR sheets uploaded by the NTA differ from the answers they had actually marked during the examination. He also told the court that the students had emailed the NTA and also visited its office, but received no response. The bench then agreed to list the matter for hearing. The NEET-UG 2026 exam, originally held on May 3, was cancelled following a paper leak and was re-conducted on June 21 by the NTA.

States can withdraw FIRs against students who joined Neet protests: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that the governments of Delhi and other states can close or withdraw FIRs against students who participated in protests against the NEET paper leak, provided they do not have antecedents involving grave and heinous offences. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also made it clear that the expression "criminal antecedents" referred only to grave and heinous offences. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the Union government was serious in its commitment not to pursue FIRs against protesting students except those with criminal antecedents. Mehta said that FIRs against over 2,700 people with antecedents involving grave and heinous offences would not be withdrawn. During the hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted that even lawyers' children were beaten during the protests. "The videos are very shocking. We have given 300 videos to the court. Since