Supreme Court Rules: No Re-Exam for NEET UG 2024 Amid Paper Leak Allegations

Supreme Court Confirms NEET UG 2024 Validity: No Systemic Breach Found, Re-Exam Rejected

The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, has ruled that there will be no re-exam for NEET UG 2024. The court found no evidence of systemic breaches in the exam, making its cancellation unjustified.

Court’s Observation on NEET Exam Integrity:

Chief Justice Chandrachud acknowledged arguments regarding the integrity of the exam. The bench, including Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, heard from the union and mentioned that candidates with individual grievances could move to the High Courts for resolution.

SC Judgement on NEET UG 2024

Delivering the judgement, the Chief Justice addressed the central issue of whether a re-test should be conducted due to the alleged paper leak and systemic deficiencies. He noted that the NEET UG exam was conducted at 4,750 centres across 571 cities and 14 overseas locations. Highlighting that 24 lakh students competed for 1,08,000 seats, the court scrutinized data from NTA.

The court concluded that there was no substantial evidence to suggest that the exam results were compromised or that there was a systemic breach. Ordering a re-test would disrupt the admission schedule, impact medical education, and disadvantage marginalized groups benefiting from reservation policies.

No Re-Test for NEET UG 2024

The Supreme Court ruled against a re-test, citing the absence of material evidence suggesting a widespread issue. NTA had conducted a special test for 1,563 candidates, offering them the choice of a re-test or grace marks. The principal concern was maintaining the exam’s integrity without disrupting the process.

Candidates with specific grievances, unrelated to the court’s judgment, can approach the High Courts under Article 226 after withdrawing their petitions from the Supreme Court. Additionally, a seven-member expert committee has been formed by the union to ensure that future NEET UG exams are conducted without similar issues.

Expert Opinion from IIT Delhi:

On July 22, the Supreme Court sought expert opinion from IIT Delhi to resolve a contentious question in the NEET UG 2024 exam. The court requested a team of three experts from IIT Delhi, led by Director Prof. Banerjee from the Department of Physics, to evaluate the question and submit their opinion by July 23, 12 noon. The expert team concluded that option 4 was correct and that statement 2 was incorrect because atoms of radioactive material are not stable. Thus, the National Testing Agency (NTA) was correct in its answer key.

Concerns Over NEET Paper Leak:

On July 22, Chief Justice Chandrachud expressed concerns about the paper leak, suggesting it might have occurred before the transportation of the question papers to banks. The government previously maintained that the leak happened on the morning of May 5 in Bihar and Jharkhand. However, the CJI pointed out that if the leak occurred on May 4 night, it likely happened before securing the papers in the banks.

Results Publication

Following the Supreme Court’s orders, the NTA published the NEET UG 2024 results on July 20, ensuring transparency by releasing results city-wise and centre-wise.

Top Performing States:

Rajasthan: 482 students scored 700+

Maharashtra: 205 students

Kerala: 194 students

Uttar Pradesh: 184 students

Haryana: 146 students

The Supreme Court’s decision aims to maintain the exam's integrity while addressing the concerns raised by the students and ensuring a fair and transparent process for future examinations.

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