On Monday, the Supreme Court of India will listen to 38 petitions about the NEET-UG 2024 exam, with many people requesting a re-test due to alleged cheating and irregularities. The central government and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET-UG exam, oppose these petitions, arguing that canceling the exam would harm many honest students.
The Ministry of Education stated that if there is no evidence of mass cheating, canceling the exam will harm the sincere efforts of the candidates.
In agreement with the government, the NTA has claimed that canceling the exam is disadvantageous and "detrimental to the public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates." The disturbing allegations of cheating, including leakage of question papers and impersonation during the NEET-UG 2024 examination on May 5, have led to widespread resentment. As a result of these allegations, there were demonstrations and extensive media coverage. However, the NTA and Union Education Ministry contend that there is not enough proof of major violations in the exam system.
To address such issues, the government has constituted a group of ministers and academic specialists to recommend measures for making examinations conducted by the NTA more transparent and unbiased. The role of this committee is to improve measures for protecting informational data as well as the management of the NTA.
The debate escalated when 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, a record high, with six students from a single center in Haryana. These allegations suggested that grace marks contributed to such scores. The NTA had initially declared 67 candidates as top scorers on the NEET-UG but on July 1 reduced the number to 61.
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These are the issues the Supreme Court will address on July 8, regarding the petitions for canceling the exam, conducting a re-exam, and implementing a court-monitored investigation. The central government and the NTA have both dismissed the idea of canceling the exam without substantial evidence of malpractice. They argue that such a decision would negatively impact the futures of many honest applicants.
The Union Education Ministry, under the Centre’s human resource development ministry, has filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court opposing the petitions for a re-test and a court-monitored probe. The NTA has also filed an affidavit against these petitions, stating that canceling the exam is illogical without credible evidence of widespread cheating.
The NEET-UG is a critical entrance exam for admissions to medical and related courses in India. Held on May 5, 2024, over 2.3 million students took the exam across 4,750 centers in 571 cities. The allegations of irregularities have led to widespread protests and political debates. The NTA announced the revised rank list on July 1 after issuing the results of a re-test held on June 23.
