'Sanctity Of NEET-UG 2024 Has Been Affected, We Need Answers': Supreme Court Seeks NTA's Response On Plea To Cancel Exam Over Alleged Paper Leak - 2024-06-11

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 11) issued notice to the Centre and the National Testing Agency on a petition seeking the cancellation of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) exam held this year for the Under-Graduate(UG) Medical courses over an alleged paper leak.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah posted the matter on July 8 seeking a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA).

"It is not that simple that because you have done it is sacrosanct. Sanctity has been affected, so we need answers," Justice Amanullah told the counsel representing the National Testing Agency. "How much time you want? Immediately on the re-opening? Otherwise, the counselling will start." Justice Amanullah told the NTA's counsel.

The counsel for the NTA submitted that the petition be tagged along with an earlier petition on which notice was issued by a bench led by the Chief Justice of India on May 17. That petition is listed on July 8, he informed. The bench then posted the present petition along with the earlier petition which is listed on July 8.

Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, appearing for the petitioners, sought for a stay of the counselling. However, the bench refused to do so. "Let the counselling start, we are not stopping the counselling," Justice Nath orally said.

"Issue notice. In the meantime, the response will be filed by the National Testing Agency," the bench observed in the order.

The petition was filed by Shivangi Mishra and nine others on June 1 before the declaration of the results ( Shivangi Mishra and others vs.National Testing Agency and others Diary No.25656/2024). After the declaration of the results, few more petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court questioning the decision of the National Testing Agency to award grace marks to several candidates. However, those petitions, which were filed after the declaration of results, were not listed today.

The writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution seeks to direct the National Testing Agency to conduct the exam again in view of the allegations of the paper leak. Raising doubts about the sanctity of the exam held on May 5, the petitioners seek the cancellation of the exam.

On May 17, while considering another petition seeking similar reliefs, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the declaration of the results of the NEET-UG exam. Though the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued notice on that petition and posted the matter in July, the bench stated that the results of the exams held on a pan-India basis cannot be stayed.