The Supreme Court on July 8, 2024, scheduled the next hearing in the NEET-UG controversy for July 11. The court was hearing a number of petitions demanding a re-test of the May 5 NEET-UG exam. The results of NEET-UG were released on June 4 and were marred by allegations of leaked question papers and the awarding of grace marks to 1,563 students. During the hearing on July 8, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud stated that a re-test for nearly 24 lakh students would be a last resort. He highlighted the financial burden such a re-test would place on students, many of whom come from low-income families. The controversies surrounding the NEET-UG and the UGC-NET, another crucial national-level exam, have sparked political debates, with opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi criticizing the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On June 19, the Union Education Ministry canceled the UGC-NET exam following concerns regarding its integrity. This cancellation came amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the NEET-UG exam. Both exams are conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Law enforcement agencies in Bihar and Gujarat are currently investigating the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2024 question paper. The series of events surrounding the controversies are detailed below:
On June 27, President Droupadi Murmu addressed the Parliament, stating the government’s commitment to a thorough investigation of the paper leak incidents and severe punishment for the guilty. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made its first arrests in connection with its investigation into the NEET-UG paper leak in Patna on June 27. The two individuals arrested, Manish Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar, are from Patna and have been presented in court.
Following a complaint from the Ministry of Education, the CBI filed its first information report (FIR) on June 23 regarding irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.
Amidst the controversy surrounding the NEET and UGC-NET exams, the Union government replaced the Director General of the NTA, Subodh Kumar Singh, on June 22. Pradeep Singh Kharola, a 1985-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, was appointed as the new head of the Agency.
On June 22, the Ministry of Education formed a high-level committee of experts, led by a former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to ensure the transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.
On June 22, the Union government postponed the NEET PG 2024 exam, which was scheduled for June 23 for admission to postgraduate medical courses.
The Supreme Court, on June 21, declined to stay the NEET-UG 2024 counseling process. The apex court issued a notice to the NTA and tagged the new pleas with pending petitions, scheduling them for hearing on July 8.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, aimed at curbing unfair practices during public examinations and entrance tests nationwide, came into effect on June 21.
On June 20, the Union government announced the formation of a high-level committee to provide recommendations for enhancing the structure, processes, data management, and security protocols of the NTA. The committee will include technocrats, scientists, educational administrators, academics, and psychologists. The CBI registered an FIR on June 20 against unidentified individuals in the UGC-NET paper leak case, based on a reference from the Ministry of Education.
On June 20, Anurag Yadav, a 22-year-old aspirant for the NEET-UG 2024 exam, was arrested by the Bihar police after admitting that the leaked question paper he received matched the actual exam paper. This arrest was part of a wider investigation, which also led to the detention of four men from Bihar for allegedly accessing the exam paper a day before the test.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a harsh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, alleging that the Prime Minister was more focused on the Speaker’s election. On the same day, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha claimed that the main accused in the NEET paper leak is linked to officials associated with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
On June 19, the Union Education Ministry canceled the UGC-NET exam after concerns were raised regarding its integrity. The UGC-NET 2024 was conducted on June 18 in 317 cities. The government also ordered a CBI investigation into the UGC-NET exam.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the NTA on June 18, seeking a response to pleas related to alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024. The court emphasized that even the slightest negligence in NEET-UG 2024 should be thoroughly investigated. The Supreme Court remarked, “If there is 0.001% negligence on the part of anyone, it should be thoroughly dealt with. Children have prepared for the exams. We cannot forget their labor.”
On June 15, a delegation from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), led by National Secretaries Shivangi Kharwal and Virendra Solanki, submitted a memorandum to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the NEET-UG exam issue and the resulting student distress.
The controversy surrounding the NEET-UG results reached the Supreme Court on June 13, with multiple petitions seeking the cancellation of the exams. During the first hearing, the SC requested a response from the NTA and refused to stay the NEET-UG counseling process. The Supreme Court was informed that the Centre had decided to revoke the grace marks awarded to 1,563 students in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The government stated that if the affected students chose to retake the exam, it would be held on June 23. The results for those students would be declared before June 30, and the counseling would commence from July 6 onwards.
The NTA declared the NEET-UG 2024 results on June 4, the day of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 vote count. Following the release of the results, students and parents took to the streets to protest the unusual outcomes and the awarding of grace marks to approximately 1,500 students. Students began demanding a re-test and re-evaluation of all marks after it was discovered that 67 students had topped the exam.
On May 5, 2024, the NTA conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for 24 lakh students at 4,750 centers across 571 cities, including those outside India. During the exam, allegations of paper leaks arose at various centers. The NTA and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed these allegations. The NTA and the Centre clarified that the question papers for Hindi and English mediums were mixed at six centers. However, the government stated that the issue was rectified, and students were given additional time to complete the NEET exam.
