New Delhi: The Supreme Court has requested a response from the National Testing Authority (NTA) regarding a petition to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam amid allegations of widespread irregularities in the national test for medical college admissions.
“The integrity of the exam is at stake, so we need explanations,” stated justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah on June 11. The court, however, did not halt the counseling process and rescheduled the case for July 8.
The NTA, responsible for conducting the NEET, is under scrutiny following accusations from students and demands for the exam’s cancellation due to suspected irregularities.
The petition, submitted on June 1, arises from a Bihar police investigation into an alleged paper leak, affecting the competitive exam taken by hundreds of thousands of students for a limited number of medical seats.
Suspicion grew when the results were announced on June 4, revealing that 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, with six from the same test center, suggesting potential misconduct.
On June 10, numerous students protested in Delhi, calling for an investigation into the alleged irregularities.
The NTA is also criticized for its handling of grace marks and the examination process. The education ministry has formed a four-member panel to review the grace marks given to over 1,500 candidates, as students claim these marks contributed to the 67 top-scoring students.
Avijit Ghosh, vice president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, advocated for an independent and transparent investigation to protect the integrity of the entrance exam system.
Concerns have been raised by various parties about whether NEET, which has previously faced opposition in states like Tamil Nadu, has been compromised.
