NEET row: After SC slams Centre, Rahul questions Modi's silence
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "silence" on the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. This came just hours after the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), saying that even "0.001% negligence" in conducting the exam warrants a thorough investigation. "Prime Minister...as usual, remains silent on the issue of over 24 lakh students' futures being jeopardized by the NEET exam scandal," he said
Why does this story matter?
Earlier this month, a group of 20 medical aspirants filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking the scrapping of the 2024 NEET-UG entrance test and a court-monitored probe by independent agencies into alleged irregularities. The plea highlighted an unusual increase of 400% in candidates who scored between 620-720 marks and that 67 students scored a perfect 720/720 marks in the NEET 2024 exams.
BJP-ruled states epicenter of paper leaks: Gandhi
"Arrests in Bihar, Gujarat, and Haryana...indicate...there was a planned and organized corruption in the exam process, with these BJP-ruled states becoming the epicenter of the paper leak," Gandhi said in his X post. "In our manifesto, we guaranteed the protection of the youth's future by enacting stringent laws against paper leaks. Fulfilling our responsibility as the opposition, we are committed to strongly raising the voices of the youth...[in]...Parliament, and pressuring the government to develop such stringent policies," he added.
Read Gandhi's post here
'Even if 0.001% negligence...': SC notice to NTA-Centre over NEET
Earlier in the day, the apex court issued notices to the NTA and the Centre over the pleas alleging paper leaks and malpractices during the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The court stressed that even minor negligence, as low as 0.001%, must be thoroughly addressed. "If there is 0.001% negligence on the part of anyone it should be thoroughly dealt with," said the Supreme Court.
Expect timely action from NTA: SC
The Supreme Court said it expects a "timely action" from the NTA and that the agency must ensure that all candidates are treated fairly. "As an agency which is conducting the examination, you must act fair. If there is a mistake, say yes, this is a mistake, and this is the action we are going to take. At least that inspires confidence in your performance," a bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice SVN Bhatti told the NTA.
Children study hard to get through NEET: SC
The Supreme Court also observed that the agency shouldn't forget the efforts students put in to prepare for one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. "Imagine a person who has played fraud on the system becomes a doctor, he is more deleterious to the society. Children study hard to get through NEET" it added. The next hearing in the case will be held on July 8.
Controversy over NEET-UG 2024
The results for the examination—taken by 24 lakh students on May 5—were announced on June 4. Shortly after, allegations of paper leaks emerged. Numerous student organizations have protested against purported irregularities in NEET—such as the distribution of incorrect question papers, torn OMR sheets, among others. The opposition parties have been vocal on the issue criticizing the Centre over the alleged paper leaks. Separately, Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has denied allegations of a paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024.
