Stating that there was no “systemic breach” in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024, the Supreme Court on Friday said the National Testing Agency (NTA) should avoid “flip-flops” in conducting the exams and mishaps orchestrated by it was a luxury students cannot afford.

Pronouncing the detailed judgement on pleas seeking cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 over allegation of paper leak and malpractices which has already been rejected on July 23, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heading a bench also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said, “The NTA must avoid the flip-flops it has done in this case. These flip-flops of the NTA do not serve the interests of the students.”

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Asking the Central government to completely restructure the examination process, the judgment said an exam may be cancelled only when its sanctity is found to have been compromised at a systemic level and it is impossible to separate the tainted candidates from the untainted ones.

Stating that there was no systemic breach in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam, the court said that whatever happened was limited to Hazaribagh and Patna and, hence, no retest would be needed with respect to this year’s NEET-UG.

It directed the Centre-appointed committee to recommend and implement top-to-bottom overhauling of the exam process, including security improvements, data protection measures, periodic audits, surprise inspections of examination centres, grievance redressal mechanisms for students and foolproof logistics.

In view of its directions which are over and above the reference by the Central government, the top court extended the term of the committee by five weeks asking it to submit its report by September 30 instead of August 22, as mandated earlier.

Flagging the issue of papers being transported to some examination centres by battery-rickshaw, rear door of the strongroom being kept open, granting compensatory marks, then grace marks which led to 44 candidates getting 720/720, the court in its order said, “We have highlighted all errors of NTA and thus committee should identify and rectify these. These issues which have arisen must be rectified by the Union of India this year itself so that it is not repeated.”

The top court had on July 23, refused to order retest of the NEET-UG 2024 holding that there was no material before the court to warrant such a course which is fraught with serious consequences, cascading effects including the availability of the medical doctors in the future.

Refusing the plea seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024to and its reconduct, the court had said, “There is absence of material on record to lead to conclusion that the results of the exam is vitiated or that there is a systematic breach of the sanctity of the exam.”

The order of the top court came on a batch of pleas seeking direction to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the examination afresh, alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the test held.

The petitioner candidates who had appeared for NEET-UG 2024 had approached the top court and raised the issue of leakage of question paper, awarding compensatory marks and anomaly in question papers coupled with other irregularities in the conduct of the exam.

NEET-UG examination, conducted by NTA, is a first step for admissions into MBBS, BDS and AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

The NEET-UG, 2024 was held at 4,750 centres across 571 cities within the country and abroad.