'NEET not cancelled despite paper leak because...': Education minister explains
Unlike the UGC-NET, which was cancelled a day after being held over concerns that the exam's integrity might have been compromised, the Education Ministry decided not to cancel the NEET despite allegations of irregularities. Explaining the rationale behind this decision, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan argued that the leak impacted only a limited number of students, unlike broader leaks in 2004 and 2015, which led to exam cancellations. "Cancelling...would affect lakhs of students who cleared the examination rightfully," Pradhan stated.
Why does this story matter?
The NEET examination, held on May 5 across 4,750 centers with around 24 lakh candidates appearing for it, has been tainted by allegations of cheating and question paper leaks in Bihar. On top of it, an unprecedented number of students—as many as 67—scored a perfect 720, raising suspicions about irregularities. The results were expected to be declared on June 14, but were announced 10 days earlier due to the early completion of answer sheet evaluations.
Supreme Court refuses to postpone NEET counselling
The minister also stated that the matter is being heard by the Supreme Court, and that any decision made by the court will be final. While petitions seeking the cancellation of the NEET are pending before the apex court, it has refused to stay the counseling for the NEET examination, which is scheduled to start on July 6. "Counselling is not open and shut. It is a process," the court said.
Pradhan criticizes NTA, announces high-level investigation
Regarding the cancellation of UGC-NET, he called it an "institutional failure" of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and announced the formation of a high-level panel to investigate the matter. The minister emphasized that isolated cases of malpractice should not affect those who passed legitimately and warned of strict action against those responsible, including top NTA officials.
Centre notifies stringent law to curb malpractices in exams
On Friday, the government enforced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, starting June 21, to prevent paper leaks and cheating in public exams. Under this new law, any person resorting to unfair means will face imprisonment for a term not less than three years, extendable to five years, and a fine up to ₹10 lakh. Service providers are also liable under the Act; failure to disclose possible offenses might result in fines of up to ₹1 crore.
