The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 23, declined to order a re-test for NEET-UG 2024, stating that the available data does not suggest a “systemic leak” of the question paper.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who was heading the apex court bench also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said, “At the present stage, there is absence of materials on record to show results of the exam was vitiated or there was a systemic breach in the conduct of the exam.”
He added, “Data on record is not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the exam. The cancellation of NEET is neither justified nor required on the basis of the materials available on record.”
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The court noted that mandating a new NEET-UG exam for this year would have significant repercussions for the over 24 lakh students who took the test. Additionally, the court was informed that the Union government has established a seven-member expert committee to address the issue.
The bench stated, “The committee shall abide by the further directions as may be issued by this court to ensure that the process of conducting NEET UG exam is duly strengthened so that issues cited now does not arise in future.”
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), conducted by the National Testing Agency, is the gateway for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across India.
This year’s NEET-UG, held on May 5, saw participation from over 23.33 lakh students at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 international locations.
Earlier, an expert panel from the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) submitted a report concerning a disputed physics question that petitioners argued had two correct answers.
“We have received the IIT Delhi report. IIT Director Rangan Banerjee formed a committee from the physics department, and a team of three experts reviewed the question. They concluded that option four is the correct answer,” stated CJI Chandrachud.
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