In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India dismissed petitions on Monday that sought a re-examination of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET UG) or the annulment of the previous month’s results. The petitioners claimed that the integrity of the exam was compromised due to a widespread leak. However, the Supreme Court found no evidence to support these claims.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, delivering the verdict, stated that the data presented did not indicate any systemic flaws that would justify the annulment of the results or a re-examination. The court concluded that the integrity of the NEET UG examination was intact and there was no widespread leak affecting the exam’s results.
Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Supreme Court that there had indeed been a leak of the NEET UG question paper on the day of the exam, May 5. The incident occurred in Hazaribagh and the leaked paper was subsequently circulated to Patna. According to the CBI, the paper was accessed through a control room backdoor left open by the center superintendent. The leaked paper was then shared with collaborators in Patna and Hazaribagh.
Despite this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta presented data to the court demonstrating that the medical admissions numbers remained consistent with previous years, even in Hazaribagh and Patna where the leak occurred. This data suggested that the leak did not significantly impact the overall results of the exam.
Furthermore, Chief Justice Chandrachud directed the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to address a disputed Physics question that had led to the awarding of grace marks to numerous candidates, including the top 44 scorers. The resolution of this issue could potentially impact the overall ranking and scores of many students who took the test.
The petitioners’ counsels argued for a re-test, either for all candidates or at least for those who qualified. They referenced past precedents where re-tests were ordered in similar circumstances. They also highlighted the fragility of the current system in safeguarding the integrity of the exam. Despite these arguments, the court found no substantial grounds to order a re-test.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) had released city and center-wise results, indicating that those implicated in the leak did not outperform other candidates. However, some centers showed a high number of top scorers, raising questions about the distribution of scores.
The Supreme Court’s ruling comes at a crucial time as undergraduate medical counseling is expected to commence on July 24. The court continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure the fairness and integrity of the admission process.
This decision by the Supreme Court underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of national examinations and upholding the trust in the educational assessment system. While the issue of the question paper leak in Hazaribagh and Patna raised concerns, the court’s ruling reaffirms that there was no significant impact on the overall results of the NEET UG examination. The focus now shifts to ensuring a fair and transparent counseling process for aspiring medical students across the country.
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