CBI to Inform Supreme Court: NEET-UG 2024 Paper Leak Was Localized, Not Widespread
New Delhi, 11th July 2024: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is reportedly set to inform the Supreme Court that the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak was localized rather than widespread, according to sources familiar with the matter. This stance was detailed in the CBI’s status report submitted to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover on Thursday. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on July 18.
Sources indicate that the CBI’s investigation revealed the leak was confined to a single exam centre in Bihar and affected only a small number of students. The agency also clarified that the leaked paper did not circulate widely on social media, countering previous claims of extensive dissemination online.
The CBI’s findings are expected to provide clarity on the extent of the paper leak and its impact on the examination process. This position aligns with the stance of the Centre, which opposes a complete retest of NEET-UG 2024 for the 23 lakh students who took the exam on May 5.
In its affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Centre argued that there was no evidence of widespread malpractice in the exam. Referring to data analytics conducted by IIT-Madras on NEET-UG 2024 results, the Centre stated that there was no indication of localized groups benefiting disproportionately or abnormal score distributions.
Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the NEET-UG exam, asserted in a separate affidavit that viral videos purporting to show leaked question papers on social media platform Telegram were fabricated. The NTA defended its handling of the exam and results, citing an analysis that found the distribution of marks to be normal across national, state, city, and centre levels.
