July 23 Decision: The Supreme Court, on July 23, declined to order a re-examination of NEET UG 2024. The Court cited a lack of evidence to suggest the exam results were compromised or that there was a systemic breach of the exam's integrity.
Court’s Statement: "There is no indication of a systemic leak of the question paper that would undermine the sanctity of the exam," the Court stated during its hearing on multiple pleas for cancellation, re-exam, and a court-monitored investigation into the NEET UG 2024 exam conducted on May 5.
Bench Composition: The hearing was presided over by a bench including Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra.
Impact of a Re-Exam: The Court highlighted the severe repercussions of ordering a fresh NEET UG exam for over 24 lakh students, including disruption of the admission schedule, cascading effects on medical education, future availability of medical professionals, and adverse impacts on marginalized groups benefitting from reservation policies.
CBI Findings: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Court about a paper leak at the Hazaribagh center in Jharkhand. According to a CBI official, some gadgets used by the involved gang were burned, while others were recovered on July 22 for further investigation.
IIT Delhi Report: Chief Justice DY Chandrachud mentioned receiving a report from IIT Delhi, led by Director Prof. Banerjee, confirming that option 4 was the correct answer to a disputed multiple-choice question.
Previous Court Actions: On July 22, the Supreme Court requested IIT Delhi's Director to form a three-member expert committee to determine the correct answer to a NEET-UG 2024 multiple-choice question for which the NTA awarded marks for two options.
JPC Probe Demand: The Federation of Central Universities Teachers’ Association (FEDCUTA) has called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 exam and the immediate disbanding of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
NTA's Additional Affidavit: The NTA has denied allegations of conflict of interest regarding IIT-M Director's involvement in the data analytics report. Petitioners in the paper leak case have requested a re-test for approximately 3.5 lakh top scorers.
July 18 Hearing Highlights: The Supreme Court questioned the NTA's hypothesis about the paper being leaked, solved, and memorized within 45 minutes. A petitioner’s lawyer pointed out the increased syllabus notified just months before the exam and compromised question paper transportation in Hazaribagh.
Government’s Position: The Union government, in its affidavit, stated no widespread cheating or unfair advantage for specific groups was evident in NEET UG 2024. The Ministry of Education had asked IIT Madras to conduct comprehensive data analytics of the results.
Exam Details: NEET-UG 2024, conducted on May 5, saw participation from 23.33 lakh students across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. The NTA administers this exam for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions nationwide.
Stay tuned for all live updates on the NEET UG 2024 hearing:
23 Jul 2024, 05:24:26 PM IST: Chief Justice DY Chandrachud reiterated the significant consequences of ordering a re-examination, stressing the widespread impact on over 24 lakh students, the admission schedule, medical education trajectory, and the future availability of qualified medical professionals, particularly affecting marginalized groups with reserved seats.