The Supreme Court refused to order a re-test for NEET UG-2024, saying "there was no systematic leak of the question paper".
The NEET UG-2024 paper leak case takes a new shape. On August 2, the Supreme Court presented a detailed judgment, providing reasons for not canceling the examination amidst the controversies regarding paper leak and additional irregularities. The CJI-led bench stated that there was no systematic breach of the question papers, and the leak was limited to only Patna (Bihar) and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).
While presenting the judgement, the Supreme Court also noted the NTA (National Testing Agency) must avoid the "flip-flops" that it made in relation to the exam. "Such "flip-flops" in a national exam do not serve the interests of the students,” it said.Moreover, a panel has been set up (headed by ex-ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan) to review NTA’s functioning and recommend exam reforms.
The examination was held on May 5, 2024, where over 23 lakh students participated at 4750 different centers located in 571 cities across India. As soon as the results were announced, controversies began erupting from all around regarding "large-scale malpractices". There were petitions to order a re-test - which was refused by the Supreme Court on July 23, stating it would affect lakhs of students negatively.
Now, with the verdicts by the top court, let's have a look at all the major aspects of the NEET-UG 2024 Plea.
Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the NEET-UG is an admission test for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions. The results were scheduled to be declared on June 14, however, were announced on June 4 instead.
There were allegations of paper leaks, cheating, impersonation, and more. Around 67 students scored 720, six of whom were from a center in Haryana's Faridabad. On the other hand, grace marks were given to the candidates at as many as six centers to make up for the loss of time. All these led to protests from all over the country, demanding a re-test.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed its first chargesheet in the case, naming 13 people as accused. They are Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand, Sikander Yadvendu, Ashutosh Kumar, Roshan Kumar, Manish Prakash, Akhilesh Kumar, Avdesh Kumar, Anurag Yadav, Abhishek Kumar, Shivnandan Kumar, and Ayush Raj.
The charges against those accused include sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (destruction of evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 380 (theft), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 420 (cheating), and 109 (abetment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In a press release, the CBI said, "Several other accused are already in police/ judicial custody. As and when further investigation against these accused/ suspects is complete, supplementary charge sheet(s) will be filed."
The Supreme Court stated that the Center will rectify all the issues about NEET UG that have arisen this year.
Besides the verdict, the Court announced the formation of an evaluation committee to operate the examination processes better. The committee's main job is to recommend strict data protection protocols to preserve and protect sensitive information, review the exam centers, implement technological innovations to enhance the process, and more.
Notably, the Center-appointed panel has a deadline of September 30 to file a report on the rectifications required.
