The Supreme Court hearing on the NEET UG 2024 case will continue tomorrow, July 23. The NTA and the Centre are scheduled to present their submissions, addressing the on-going concerns and questions raised during the proceedings. The Apex Court is expected to review these submissions as part of its deliberation on the issues surrounding the examination.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud heard a batch of petitions seeking re-examination and cancellation of NEET UG results and a court-monitored probe into the alleged malpractices in the conduct of the test.
IIT Delhi team to scrutinize ambiguous question
Bench addressed an issue with a NEET UG 2024 question, suggesting that IIT Delhi form a team of experts to determine the correct answer. The question (number 19) in the Physics paper is significant as 44 NEET UG toppers were awarded grace marks due to its ambiguity.
The CJI ordered that an expert opinion from IIT Delhi be sought to resolve the issue of the ambiguous Physics question that led to the award of grace marks. “We request Director, IIT Delhi to constitute a team of three experts of the subject concerned. The expert team will formulate its response and submit it to the register by 12 noon tomorrow,” he said and added that the team should give one correct answer. The Solicitor General agreed to respond by 10:30 AM.
Re-Neet or No Re-Neet?
While hearing the main petition related to cancelling the NEET-UG 2024, Chief Justice of India instructed that all requests for a re-test should be emailed to the court master by this evening (July 22), limited to half a page.
The Supreme Court is hearing cases related to alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. Senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing the petitioners, stated that Bihar police investigation reports indicate the leak occurred on May 4, prior to the deposit of question papers with the banks. The three Judges bench headed by CJI noted that statements from the accused suggest students were gathered to memorize the questions on the evening of May 4, implying the leak happened before that date.
NTA data shows Daal Me Kuch Kaala?
In the last hearing (July 18), the SC bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish city-and center-wise results of NEET UG without revealing the students' identities. The result was published on the NTA website on July 20.
Data shared by the NTA shows that the candidates who allegedly benefitted from the paper leak and other irregularities did not do well. However, some centers showed a high concentration of good scorers.
Sikar's stellar performance raises suspicion
A total of 482 students from Rajasthan scored above 700 marks out of 720 as per the data released by National Testing Agency (NTA). These include the highest number of 149 students from Sikar, 131 from Jaipur and 74 from Kota. While the highest number of students who have scored 650 or more marks are 2037 from Sikar, 1681 from Jaipur and 1066 from Kota. Around 4000 candidates alone from the Sikar (49 examination centers) excelled with scores above 600 marks. Analysis shows higher average than the national level.
Petitioner’s counsel seeks re-test for qualified candidates
On behalf of Petitioners’ counsel, senior advocate Narender Hooda proposed that if the Supreme Court does not consider a complete re-examination for NEET, at least the qualified candidates, approximately 13 lakh people, should be asked to retake the exam. Hooda emphasized the importance of ensuring fairness and integrity in the examination process.
What the Tanvi Sarwal judgement says?
Meanwhile, counsel referenced the 2015 "Tanvi Sarwal" judgment, which cancelled the All India Pre-Medical Test after 44 candidates were found to have used unfair means. The counsel argued that the Court cancelled the exam despite the on-going investigation, suggesting a precedent for similar action in the current NEET case.
Counsel also objected to the NTA's decision to open a 24-hour registration window on April 9 for 24,000 additional NEET students. They argued that candidates who missed the initial deadline should not be granted extra opportunities for registration, asserting that vigilance in meeting deadlines is crucial.
NEET-UG row in the Lok Sabha
A united Opposition used the alleged irregularities and the paper leak in NEET-UG to take on the Centre on the first day of the Budget Session of Parliament, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleging that there is a serious issue with the examination system.
While the Opposition staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour after Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan denied the charges saying there was no evidence of paper leak in the last seven years of NDA rule in the Country. Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla suggested members should discuss developing a better examination system in the country.
Besides, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and DMK's Kalanidhi Veeraswamy also questioned the government over the NEET-UG paper leak issue. Rahul Gandhi reiterated that the Opposition would continue its pressure on the government over the issue.