Neet Ug 2024: Majority Of Students Oppose Retest, Supreme Court Continues Hearing
Pune, 18th July 2024: The Supreme Court continued hearing over 40 petitions demanding a re-exam for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024 today. The petitions call for re-conducting the entrance exam for medical, dental, AYUSH, and nursing undergraduate courses due to alleged irregularities, including paper leaks. Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, presided over the hearing. Earlier, on July 11, the court had asked the petitioners to respond to the reports presented by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the government.
The Supreme Court session resumed after lunch at 2 PM, where the CJI expressed displeasure over the petitioners’ comments on the report submitted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The bench dismissed petitions demanding a re-investigation into the paper leak cases, stating it was unnecessary. According to the bench, 131 students are demanding a re-exam, while 254 students are against it. The petitioners argued that IIT Madras, which investigated the paper leak, has a conflict of interest as its director is a board member of the NTA. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also submitted a second status report on the alleged paper leaks. The bench asked the petitioners to prove that the paper leak had such a widespread impact that it warranted canceling the exam.
The previous hearing on July 11 also addressed concerns raised about the NEET UG 2024 conducted by the NTA on May 5. Questions were raised regarding paper leaks and the results declared on June 4, including the number of toppers, grace marks, and cut-offs. The CJI had instructed petitioners to submit their responses to the reports by the NTA and the central government. The next hearing was then scheduled for July 18.
Over 23 lakh students registered for NEET UG 2024 for admission to medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), AYUSH (BAMS, BHMS, BYNS, BSMS), and nursing (BSc Nursing) courses, with more than 13 lakh declared successful. The counseling process by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is on hold due to the ongoing Supreme Court hearings.
