The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the proceedings before the Bombay, Calcutta and Rajasthan High Courts related to the alleged paper leak and other irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test – Undergraduate – 2024 (NEET-UG 2024) exam and issued notice on the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) pleas seeking the transfer of these cases from the High Courts to the top court.
Staying the proceedings in the NEET-UG 2024 related cases before three High Courts and issuing notice on their transfer to itself (top court), a vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice SVN Bhatti asked the advocate appearing for the NTA to inform the High Courts that notice has been issued on the transfer of matters to the top court.
“Please tell the High Courts that notice has been issued now,” the bench told the advocate appearing for the NTA, and ordered, “In the meantime, further proceedings before the High Court shall remain stayed.”
Last week too, the top court had issued notice on a similar petition by the NTA seeking the transfer of cases from the High Court to itself (the top court).
The bench tagged the NTA’s transfer plea with the other matters seeking the cancellation of entire NEET-UG 2024 and its reconduct on the grounds of the alleged paper leak and other irregularities that are listed for hearing on July 8, 2024.
However, the vacation bench refused to put on hold the counselling for admission to various medical colleges scheduled to commence on July 6, stating: “No stay on counselling. If examination goes after the final hearing, then counselling also goes.”
There are more than 30 petitions before the Supreme court, including a fresh petition by a group of 20 students, who had appeared in the NEET-UG 2024, seeking direction for scrapping of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a top court-monitored probe by the CBI or any other independent agency into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the entrance exam held on May 5, 2024.
The fresh petition by 20 students who had appeared for the medical entrance exam also seeks the re-conduct of NEET-UG 2024.
“The sanctity of the examination is questionable in view of the confirmed cases of leakage of question paper, with respect to which FIRs have been lodged and several persons have been arrested, as per the media reports,” says the petition by 20 candidates seeking the reconduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
The plea has sought a direction for a Court-appointed Committee or any independent agency to conduct post-exam analysis, including academic background check, forensic analysis, and investigate all such candidates who have scored 620 and above, under the supervision of the top court.
The petitioners have also sought direction to the central government, NTA and others to take effective steps to ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process and to address the concerns pertaining to fraudulent practices, leakage of question papers, impersonation, unfair means, etc in NEET(UG) in future.
On June 18, while dealing with another set of petitions relating to NEET-UG 2024, the top court had said that that even if there was 0.001 percent negligence in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024, the National Testing Agency (NTA) must come forward and admit it, and it should be looked into and timely action should be taken.
“Even if there is 0.001% negligence on the part of anyone, it should be thoroughly dealt with. All these matters ought not to be treated as adversarial litigation,” the vacation bench had said.
On June 13, the National Testing Agency had informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates, who were given “grace marks” to compensate for the loss of time in commencing the paper, will be cancelled, with an option to take a retest.
Giving the option of taking a retest to 1,563 candidates, the NTA had said that those who choose to take a retest, their present scorecard would be cancelled and a new score, after the re-exam, would be issued and counted for admission to medical colleges.
The NTA had also said that those who choose not to take the retest, their original scores would remain but will not include the grace marks awarded to them earlier on account of the loss of time.
The court was also informed that the National Testing Agency would hold the retest for these 1,563 students on June 23 and after the announcement of the results on June 30, the counselling for admission to medical colleges would begin from July 6 onwards.
NEET-UG examination, conducted by NTA, is a precursor to admissions into MBBS, BDS and AYUSH and other related medical courses in government and private institutions across the country.
A number of aggrieved candidates have approached the top court seeking an investigation into the allegations of paper leak and other irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG.