National News

New Delhi: Supreme Court Rejects NEET-UG 2024 Reexamination Request

Sentinel Digital Desk

Published:23rd Jul, 2024 at 7:49 PM

NEW DELHI: In a significant development Supreme Court of India has rejected a request for reexamination of NEET-UG 2024. The national medical entrance test was under scrutiny. This decision was made by a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. They reviewed extensive legal arguments over several days.

The court's observations highlighted available data. The data did not demonstrate a widespread leak of question papers. This lack of evidence indicated the integrity of NEET-UG exam remained intact. Chief Justice Chandrachud emphasized. "The data on record does not indicate a systemic leak that would disrupt the sanctity of the exam." Thus, claims for reexamination were dismissed.

Despite acknowledging leaks in Hazaribagh and Patna the court found no substantial evidence. These incidents did not affect overall exam results or constitute a systemic breach. Therefore, the court deemed that canceling NEET-UG 2024 would not be warranted or justified.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) responsible for conducting NEET-UG and the Central government were represented in court by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and a panel of senior advocates. The panel included Narender Hooda Sanjay Hegde and Mathews Nedumapra. The Supreme Court's ruling comes amidst ongoing scrutiny. This follows reports of paper leaks in two cities.

In response to the leaks, the Central government had previously ordered a CBI investigation. This resulted in the arrest of over dozen individuals connected to the scandal. The CBI's findings revealed that at least 155 students from Hazaribagh and Patna had benefitted from the leaked papers. This was reported by Bar and Bench.

The Centre has also taken administrative steps. They transferred the NTA chief and set up a panel to suggest reforms for improving the agency's operations. However the Supreme Court’s decision put an end to calls for reexamination. This reaffirmed the examination’s validity under the current circumstances.