SC's notice to NTA on NEET-UG 2024 paper leak allegations
What's the story
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding allegations of paper leak and irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate examination 2024.
The court's vacation bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, expressed concern over the "sanctity" of the examination process.
"Sanctity has been affected, we need answers," the bench said.
The notice was issued following a petition filed by 10 NEET candidates alleging malpractices during the exam.
Counseling continues
Court refuses to halt counseling despite allegations
Despite the allegations, the Supreme Court has declined to halt the counseling process for admissions in MBBS, BDS, and other courses for successful candidates.
"We will not stop the counseling. If you argue further, we will dismiss this," declared the court.
The matter is set for further hearing on July 8.
The petitioners argued that paper leaks during NEET-UG 2024 violated Article 14 (right to equality) by giving some candidates an unfair advantage.
Grace marks controversy
Additional petitions filed over grace marks issue
In a related development, additional petitions have been filed in the SC concerning NTA's decision to award grace marks to several candidates in the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
These petitions were filed by Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah. Pandey collected signatures from about 20,000 students, indicating that at least 1,500 students were randomly awarded 70 to 80 grace marks.
"Our PIL will be listed tomorrow. It is regarding the paper leak as well as the grace marks," stated Pandey.
Exam overview
NEET-UG 2024 examination details and results
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by NTA, is for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.
The NEET-UG 2024 was held on May 5.
The provisional answer key of NEET 2024 was released on May 29 while the final answer key was released on June 4.