Today the Supreme Court of India is scheduled to review 38 different opinions connected to the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The call for demand are being made for the re-test and investigation of the examination, following allegations of anomalies, including paper leaks and inconsistencies in awarding grace marks, which have emerged in recent days.

Background of the NEET-UG 2024 Controversy:

The examination for NEET-UG 2024 was done on 5th of month of May in the whole country in 4,750 centers with 24 lakh candidates taking part. Results were made public on 4th of month of June which was ten days before than the proposed date. It was suspected that there was examination malpractice because of an early release of the results and a record-breaking 67 students who got 720 marks. What was more surprising is that six of the top scorers were from one center in Haryana.

Allegations and Protest:

Petitioners have alleged a number of abnormalities in the process such as leaking question papers or unequitable distribution of favourable marks hence requested for another exam day. They say that all this together has put in question the integrity of the examination process. . This is a view shared with other political parties and groups advocating for students’ rights who have also demanded transparency during tests.

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Government and NTA's Position:

The government and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET-UG, have opposed the cancellation of the exam on the grounds that there is no proof of massive cheating and that it would affect negatively on several honest candidates. The Union Education Minister’s affidavit to the court stated that without evidence of widespread corruption it would be unreasonable to scrap the exam. Similarly, the NTA’s affidavit deemed cancellation “counterproductive and significantly harmful” to public interest and the careers of qualified candidates.

Supreme Court's Previous Observations:

In a similar petition on June 11, the Supreme Court acknowledged that the “sanctity of the exams has been affected” and demand answers from the Centre and NTA regarding concerns over the sanctity of examinations held. The court highlighted the need for a thorough examination the raised issues.

Current Proceedings:

Today the Supreme Court is going to review the 38 petitions which are led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra. The petitions include demands that the exam should be cancelled, a re-test be conducted and a court-monitored investigation into the alleged irregularities be established. Centre and NTA have been issued notices to respond by July 8th.

Steps Taken by Authorities:

The claims have necessitated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) commence investigations on the repercussions. Moreover an expert committee was set up by government to recommend ways of making examinations conducted by the NTA more transparent, efficient and equitable. These actions included changing the NTA’s chairman.

Conclusion:

Today’s ruling in the ongoing litigation concerning NEET-UG 2024 at the Supreme Court will be a clincher regarding the next action steps to be taken in resolving this matter. It will define the exams process integrity and affect the destiny of several Indian aspiring medical candidates.

The #SupremeCourt will examine a clutch of petitions on Monday demanding the re-conduct of #NEETUG 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.

Details here… pic.twitter.com/GJ3OOyRinJ
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) July 8, 2024