NEET-UG Result To Be Cancelled? CJI To Hear Consolidated Pleas in Supreme Court Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a series of petitions challenging the integrity of the NEET UG 2024 examination, today. The hearing, led by a three-judge bench including Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, comes in response to widespread allegations of paper leaks and other malpractices. The bench will hear consolidated pleas filed by petitioners across the country. 

The controversy has sparked protests across the nation, with a notable demonstration taking place in Patna. Protesters have raised concerns over the fairness of the examination process conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The Supreme Court's website lists 38 petitions related to the exam scheduled for today's hearing. Both the central government and the NTA have expressed their reluctance to annul the exam or hold a re-examination. In their affidavits, they cited the lack of evidence supporting a large-scale breach of confidentiality.

The Centre, represented by the Education Ministry, argued that canceling the exam would unjustly impact the majority of candidates who honestly attempted the test. "Scrapping the exam in entirety would seriously jeopardize the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted the question paper in 2024," the Ministry stated.

Echoing this sentiment, the NTA's affidavit labeled the claims of widespread malpractice as "completely unfounded, misleading, and lacking any basis." The NTA also emphasized that canceling the examination would be "hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful" to the candidates who had successfully qualified.

In response to the allegations, the government has formed a high-level panel of experts tasked with recommending measures to ensure the transparency, security, and fairness of future examinations. This panel will focus on reforms in the examination process, enhancing data security protocols, and improving the overall functioning of the NTA. The panel had asked the stakeholders, public for ideas and suggestions for the same. The deadline to submit the suggestions on mygov.in was July 7.