'No Evidence So Far To Prove Widespread NEET-UG Paper Leak,' CJI Observes

New Delhi: A bench led by Chief Justice of india, DY Chandrachud, is hearing the NEET-UG paper leak matters in the Supreme Court today. During the hearing, CJI observed and stated that there is no evidence so far indicating a widespread leak. The bench, which also includes Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, is scrutinizing the case to determine the extent and impact of the alleged breach.

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Senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing the petitioners, alleged that the paper leak occurred before the question papers were deposited with the respective banks, suggesting a timeline as early as May 3 or before. He contended that the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) suggestion of the leak happening on the morning of the exam was contrary to statements recorded by the Bihar Police.

CJI Chandrachud acknowledged that the statements of the accused indicate that the NEET-UG paper leak occurred prior to May 4. However, he emphasized that there is no material evidence so far to suggest that the leak was widespread or affected the entire country. "We have to see if the leak is localized and confined only to Hazaribagh and Patna or whether it is widespread and systematic," said the CJI. “We don't have any material so far to show the leak was so widespread and spread across the country.”

During the hearing, CJI Chandrachud also addressed an allegation that question papers were transported in an e-rickshaw disguised as OMR sheets. He refuted the claim, affirming that there was no doubt the transported materials were indeed OMR sheets.

Advocate Hooda further argued that the NTA had admitted to a paper leak, with the leaked questions disseminated via WhatsApp. The NTA also conceded that there was a mix-up in the distribution of question papers at eight centers, where the wrong booklet (from Canara Bank) was handed out. The NTA's counsel clarified that both sets of papers from SBI and Canara Bank had the same difficulty level.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, in Lok Sabha, asserted that there has been no evidence of paper leaks in the past seven years concerning NEET examinations.