SC adjourns NEET-UG 2024 hearing till July 18
The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred the hearing of pleas linked to the paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 until July 18. The decision was made by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who noted that some parties had not yet received the affidavits filed by the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA). The bench stated these parties needed time to "apply their minds" to the responses before arguments could proceed.
Why does this story matter?
The May 5 examination by the NTA for MBBS, BDS, and related undergraduate courses across India has faced allegations of question paper leaks and inflated marking. These allegations have ignited a political row and led to weeks of student protests. The controversy escalated when the results, declared on June 4, revealed that 67 candidates achieved perfect scores of 720, with some from the same examination center. Notably, the Centre has replaced the NTA head amid the row.
Centre and NTA file affidavits opposing re-test
To recall, the Centre and the NTA have filed affidavits in compliance with the Supreme Court's July 8 order. The government submitted a fresh affidavit opposing the demand for a re-test, citing an IIT-Madras report that refutes allegations of widespread malpractices or illicit benefits to candidates at select centers. The NTA also submitted an affidavit stating that only 47 candidates are suspected of engaging in paper leaks and irregularities relating to OMR sheets.
What Centre's affidavit says
According to the Centre's affidavit, IIT-Madras conducted an exhaustive technical evaluation of the NEET-UG 2024 examination data. The analysis used parameters such as marks distribution, city-wise and center-wise rank distribution, and candidates' spread over marks range. The study found that the marks distribution follows a "bell-shaped curve typical for large-scale examinations," indicating no abnormality. A two-year analysis (2023 and 2024) was also conducted for the top 1.4 lakh ranks to detect any abnormal indications, it said.
NTA 'followed due process'
In a separate affidavit, the NTA said that concerning the "alleged question paper incident at Patna," the Bihar Police provided a list of 17 candidates. The NTA, following due process and issuing show cause notices, withheld their results. The performance assessment of these candidates showed minimal impact on the exam. Similarly, in Godhra, Gujarat, a list of 30 candidates provided by local authorities led to their results being withheld after show cause notices were issued.
NTA refutes claims of NEET-UG paper leak on Telegram
The NTA refuted claims of a NEET-UG paper leak on Telegram. Additionally, the NTA reported 153 cases of unfair means, resulting in withholding results for 81 candidates and debarment of 54 candidates for up to three years. Separately, the Centre announced that NEET-UG 2024 counseling will begin in four rounds from the third week of July. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested eight people in connection with the case.
