Fate of 23 lakh aspiring doctors in limbo as SC is yet to take a call on NEET re-exam: Here is what we know so far
Will there be a re-examination for NEET UG 2024?
Responding to petitions calling for a re-examination, “The fact that the sanctity of the exam has been compromised is beyond doubt. Now, what is the consequence of that leak would depend on the nature of that leak. If it is not extensive, then there is no cancellation. Before we order a retest, we must be careful. We are dealing with the careers of 23 lakh students,” remarked CJI Chandrachud.
The Court outlined the parameters for deciding the need for a retest:
- Whether the alleged breach occurred at a systemic level.
- Whether the breach affects the integrity of the entire exam process.
- Whether it is possible to segregate the beneficiaries of the fraud from the untainted students.
- A retest may be ordered if the breach is widespread and if it is not possible to distinguish between tainted and untainted candidates.
Opposing the cancellation of the NEET UG 2024 exam held on May 5, and conducting of a fresh exam, the Centre and the NTA, recently told the Supreme Court in separate affidavits that cancelling the exam would be “counterproductive” and “seriously jeopardise” lakhs of honest candidates in the absence of any evidence of widespread breach of confidentiality.
Why are candidates demanding a re-test?
Petitioners argue that the malpractices undermine the principles of fairness enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality. They claim that the paper leak provided an unfair advantage to certain candidates, disadvantageous to those who attempted the exam honestly.
Medical aspirants navigating troubled waters amid NEET UG 2024 counselling ambiguity
During the hearing, the Supreme Court ordered the NTA to respond to some petitions but refused to halt counselling for admissions to medical colleges. “Let us not be in denial about what happened,” CJI Chandrachud said, adding, “If the government does not cancel the exam, what will it do to find out who benefited from the question paper leak?”
CJI stated that if an exercise is to be conducted by the NTA and the Union government, a policy decision regarding the status of NEET UG counselling must be made by the government.
NEET UG 2024 was flawed from the beginning, none took notice
On May 17, notice was issued in the lead petition titled ‘Vanshika Yadav v. Union of India,’ which sought to have the NEET UG exams conducted afresh due to the alleged malpractices and paper leak. While the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on the NEET-UG 2024 results, the bench led by CJI Chandrachud agreed to consider the matter and scheduled the hearing for after the summer vacation in July.
On June 4, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the NEET UG 2024 results, notably 10 days in advance from the scheduled release date, revealing that 67 candidates scored a perfect 720, making them joint toppers. This year saw an increase in competition, with 13.16 lakh candidates qualifying compared to 11.44 lakh in 2023. The announcement raised numerous issues among aspirants, including exam irregularities, leading to demands for a re-exam.
Concerns were particularly high regarding the perfect scores achieved by 67 students, especially as six of these students had consecutive seat numbers and were from the same center in Haryana, suggesting possible irregularities.
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