The Supreme Court will examine a clutch of petitions on Monday demanding the re-conduct of NEET-UG 2024, citing alleged paper leaks and other malpractices — a hearing that comes at a critical juncture with the anxiety of more than 2.3 million candidates who took the exam hanging in the balance.
The sanctity of the all-India medical entrance examination, and the responses from the Union government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) opposing a re-exam, will be put to the test by a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud. The other members of the bench are justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The stakes are high for the candidates who appeared for NEET-UG 2024. The examination, conducted on May 5 by NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS and other related undergraduate courses across India, has been mired in controversy, with allegations of question paper leaks and inflated marking — issues that have become a nationwide flashpoint for political parties, leading to thousands of students protesting for weeks. This year’s examination was conducted at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. The results, declared on June 4, sparked controversy when 67 candidates achieved perfect scores of 720, with some of them belonging to the same examination centre. The Union government has already replaced the head of NTA after the controversy erupted.
NTA, formed in 2017, conducts a bunch of India’s most high-profile entrance examinations, including the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and the CSIR-NET, among others.
On Friday, the Union government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the re-conduct of NEET-UG 2024. The government argued that such a move would disrupt the academic calendar and is unnecessary due to the lack of widespread evidence of malpractice. “In the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared,” stated the affidavit filed through the Ministry of Education.
Supporting this stance, NTA, which conducts NEET, also filed an affidavit separately in the top court. It contended that cancelling the exam would be “counterproductive” and jeopardize the career prospects of meritorious students, despite instances of malpractices being “minuscule”, “sporadic”, and “scattered.” The NTA emphasized that strict actions are being taken against identifiable individuals involved in these malpractices at specific locations.
NTA highlighted that the present case does not involve a systematic failure across the entire examination process. “The data analysis of the performance so done by NTA succinctly indicates that the alleged malpractices have not either impacted the sanctity of the entire exam or resulted in any undue benefit to the students appearing at the aforementioned centers,” said NTA. It asserted that the performance of students at the questioned centres is neither abnormally high nor significantly different from the national average.
Even on Sunday, student organisations held protests over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET, with several groups organising at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding a retest.
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The Supreme Court has previously acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and emphasised the need for maintaining the integrity of the examination process. In an earlier hearing on June 18, the vacation bench of the apex court underscored the importance of thoroughly dealing with even 0.01% negligence on the part of NTA in conducting the NEET-UG 2024.
Addressing reported instances of irregularities, the Centre’s affidavit on Friday detailed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the alleged malpractices. The Union ministry of education has asked the CBI to probe the entire gamut of alleged irregularities, including conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, and breach of trust. The Bihar government also filed a short affidavit informing the court of its initial investigations, which have since been handed over to CBI.
To address and mitigate future concerns, the ministry has constituted a high-level committee of experts, headed by Dr K Radhakrishnan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. This committee, the affidavit said, is tasked with suggesting effective measures for conducting transparent, smooth, and fair examinations.
Regarding 67 candidates receiving perfect scores, NTA maintained that the perfect scores were a result of the reduced syllabus due to the pandemic.
The Centre on June 13 told the top court that it proposed to withdraw scorecards issued to 1,563 students awarded grace marks on account of loss of time during the May 5 test, giving candidates the option of appearing for the fresh exam on June 23. That exam was, eventually, attended by only 48% of the 1,563 students, with the rest opting to retain their scores sans the grace marks.
The imbroglio over public examinations in India boiled into a political firestorm, with the Opposition attacking the Centre and accusing it of leaving the futures of millions of students in peril. The Congress also demanded a discussion on the NEET issue during the recently concluded session of Parliament, requests that were turned down. However, several lawmakers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi addressed the issue in their speeches on the floor of the House.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday will be closely watched, as it will not only determine the fate of the NEET-UG 2024 examination but also set a precedent for handling future allegations of examination malpractices.
Since the NEET controversy, a raft of key entrance exams, including the NEET-PG, UGC-NET and CSIR-UGC-NET have also been cancelled.
The top court’s decision will test the arguments presented by the Centre and the NTA, the integrity of the examination process, and the robustness of the responses to allegations of malpractice. All eyes will be on the Supreme Court as it navigates this complex and high-stakes issue, with the potential to impact the academic careers of millions of students across the country.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
