New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked for a response from the National Testing Authority (NTA) following a petition to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam due to allegations of irregularities in the medical college entrance test.
Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that the integrity of the exam is in question and requires explanation, though they did not pause the ongoing counselling process.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 8.
The petition, filed on June 1, emerged from a Bihar police investigation into a suspected paper leak that purportedly compromised the exam, which is crucial for thousands of students vying for limited medical seats.
Media reports have indicated that the NEET UG question paper was leaked at multiple exam centers prior to the test on May 5.
According to a report by The Times of India, at least three such incidents were reported, leading to police investigations and case registrations. One of these cases was investigated by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar police, which uncovered that parents had paid approximately ₹50 lakh to access the leaked question paper. The EOU's investigation resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals, including parents and exam candidates, in Bihar.
Concerns were heightened when results announced on June 4 showed 67 candidates achieving a perfect score of 720, including six from the same test center, indicating possible malpractice.
On June 10, many students protested in Delhi, demanding a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularities.
The NTA has faced criticism on social media for its management of grace marks and the examination process.
In response, the education ministry has set up a four-member panel to scrutinize the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates, which students argue contributed to the anomalous number of top scorers.
Avijit Ghosh, vice president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, has called for an independent and transparent investigation to uphold the integrity of the entrance exam system.