The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, rejected the petition which claimed widespread question paper leaks. The petitioner failed to provide convincing evidence to support these allegations.
NEW DELHI: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the plea for a re-examination of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024. The Court, after a thorough examination of the case, concluded that there was no substantial evidence to demonstrate a systemic breach of the exam’s integrity.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, rejected the petition which claimed widespread question paper leaks. The petitioner failed to provide convincing evidence to support these allegations.
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“Canceling the entire NEET UG 2024 exam is not warranted based on the principles established by prior decisions of this court or the evidence presented,” stated the bench, emphasizing that the cancellation was unjustified and would unfairly impact 24 lakh students.
In a related decision, the Supreme Court upheld the IIT Delhi committee’s findings on a disputed NEET UG 2024 question, endorsing option 4 as the correct answer instead of option 2. Consequently, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has been directed to recalculate the NEET UG results accordingly.
The bench advised students with specific grievances to approach the High Court, on the condition that any existing petitions in the Supreme Court are withdrawn.
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Further instructions may be issued to the seven-member expert committee appointed by the Central government to enhance the NEET UG examination process and prevent future irregularities. The Court noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the issue is still ongoing.
The bench underscored that any additional candidates found involved in malpractice, as uncovered by the CBI investigation, would face appropriate actions, even if they have already undergone the college counselling process. The Court emphasized that students engaging in or benefiting from fraudulent activities would not retain their admission rights.
This ruling aims to maintain the sanctity of the NEET UG examination while ensuring fairness and transparency in the selection process.