‘Sanctity affected’: SC seeks NTA's response on plea to conduct fresh NEET-UG exam

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 11) issued notice to the National Testing Agency, demanding its response on a petition seeking fresh conduct of medical entrance exam NEET-UG, 2024, on the grounds of alleged question paper leak and other malpractices.

A vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, however, refused to stay the counselling of successful candidates for admissions to MBBS, BDS and other courses.

NEET-UG, 2024 was held on May 5 and its results were declared on June 4. It was expected to be declared on June 14.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS and AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

The top court tagged the plea filed by Shivangi Mishra and others with the pending one and asked the NTA to file the response in the meantime.

We need answers: Top court tells NTA

“It is not that simple that because you have done it is sacrosanct. Sanctity has been affected, so we need answers,” Justice Amanullah told the NTA counsel.

“How much time you want? Immediately on the re-opening? Otherwise, the counselling will start,” the judge added.

The NTA counsel urged the court to allow the petition to be tagged along with an earlier plea on which notice was issued by a bench led by the Chief Justice of India on May 17. As the earlier petition has been listed on July 8, the bench posted the current plea along with it on the same date.

While the petitioners’ counsel requested a stay on the counselling process, the apex court refused to do so.

The plea alleged that NEET-UG, 2024, was riddled with malpractices as various instances of paper leaks have come to the knowledge of the petitioners.

The alleged paper leak was violative of Article 14 (right to equality) under the Constitution as it gave an undue advantage to some candidates over others who chose to attempt the examination in a fair manner, it said