The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), a pivotal national examination for aspiring medical professionals seeking admission into various medical courses across India, faced allegations of question paper leakage prior to its scheduled date on May 5th, 2024. Approximately 2.4 million students nationwide participated in this year's examination.
Concerns regarding the integrity of NEET-UG 2024 were brought before the Apex Court, highlighting discrepancies observed in the performance of certain candidates. In its recent hearing, the Supreme Court unequivocally acknowledged the breach of sanctity surrounding the examination and deemed it imperative to investigate the extent of the breach.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, emphasized the critical need to ascertain whether a re-conduct of the examination is warranted or if alternative measures can effectively mitigate the impact on the integrity of the examination process.
The Court articulated specific parameters to determine the necessity of a retest:
The systematic nature of the alleged breach.
The overarching impact of the breach on the integrity of the examination procedure.
The feasibility of distinguishing between affected and unaffected candidates.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has been directed by the Court to provide comprehensive details regarding the timeline and method of the alleged question paper leak, as well as the duration between the occurrence of the breach and the examination date. Additionally, the Court solicited a report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to aid in its inquiry.
NTA is required to furnish all pertinent information by 5 PM on July 10th, with the next hearing scheduled for July 11th. The Court's deliberations and subsequent decision will profoundly impact the educational and legal landscape, potentially necessitating a retest to uphold the integrity and fairness of NEET-UG 2024, safeguarding the future careers of millions of aspiring medical professionals.
