NEET row: Medical aspirants have alleged malpractices in the conduct of the exam.
JK News Today / Agencies
New Delhi, June 18: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Central government over pleas alleging paper leaks and malpractices in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024 exam.
Amid the grave allegations that have triggered protests by medical aspirants and their parents, the apex court observed that even a minor negligence needs to be dealt with thoroughly.
NEET is India’s main entrance exam for medical and allied educational fields. The National Testing Agency conducts the exam every year.
Issuing notices to the NTA and the Centre, the court said even a 0.001 percent negligence must be dealt with completely.
“If there is 0.001% negligence on the part of anyone it should be thoroughly dealt with,” said the Supreme Court.
The court also observed it can’t forget the labour medical aspirants had put in to prepare for the one of the toughest entrance exams in the country.
“Children have prepared for the exams, we cannot forget their labour,” the court observed.
Justice Vikram Nath told the NTA that the Supreme Court expects timely action from it.
“Let us hear the petitions on July 8,” he added.
The NEET-UG examination was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres across 571 cities in India. The results were declared on June 4.
However, after the results were declared, the parents and teachers expressed doubts over grace marks awarded to 1,563 students.
After it snowballed into a huge controversy with political parties sniping at each other, the agency told the Supreme Court earlier this month that it was cancelling the exam for those who got the grace marks.
These students would be allowed to retake the test on June 23, and the results would be declared before June 30, it added.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan later said the government would take strict action against NTA officials if they were found guilty of irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
“On the recommendations of the Supreme Court, the order has been given for re-test of 1,563 candidates. Some irregularities have come to light in two places. I assure students and parents that the government has taken this seriously,” Pradhan had told ANI.
Earlier this month, a group of 20 medical aspirants filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking scrapping of the 2024 entrance test and a court-monitored probe by the CBI or independent agencies into the alleged irregularities.
The plea claimed that 67 students scored 720 out of 720 marks in the NEET 2024 exam. It also claimed that there was an unusual uptick of 400 percent in candidates who scored 620-720 marks.
“The aforesaid material irregularities are required to be investigated thoroughly by CBI or by any other independent agency or committee under the supervision of this court so as to do justice to the large number of meritorious students whose claims have been defeated by systemic failure to ensure conduct of fair examination,” the plea said.
