On July 8, the Supreme Court will hear around 24 petitions challenging alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG). The NEET-UG, a crucial exam for admission into undergraduate medical programmes, was held on May 5 across 4,750 centers in 571 Indian cities and 14 international locations. The verdict on these petitions could affect approximately 2.4 million students.
The controversy surrounding the exam stems from allegations of paper leaks, exam delays at certain centers, unwarranted grace marks, and unusually high scores. Notably, 67 students achieved the maximum score of 720, the highest possible. This has led to a growing demand for the tests to be scrapped and a retest conducted, a move the Indian government has thus far resisted.
The Supreme Court will consider petitions calling for a fresh examination due to alleged paper leaks and discrepancies in optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets. Some petitions have sought an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the examination process. Additionally, there are calls for an independent committee to probe the irregularities. Notable petitioners include Alakh Pandey, founder of the edtech firm Physics Wallah, and student groups like The Students Islamic Organization of India.
In response to the controversy, the government has annulled grace marks awarded to 1,563 students and conducted a retest for them. A committee has been established to enhance the structure, processes, data management, and security protocols of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which oversees the exam. NTA director Subodh Kumar Singh has been removed from his post. Furthermore, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, aimed at preventing unfair practices in public examinations, has been notified.
Cybersecurity experts warn that breaches can occur at any stage of the examination process, from the preparation and printing of question papers to their distribution to exam centers. Such breaches can lead to extortion attempts or exam delays. In June, the government cancelled the University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) after question papers surfaced on the darknet. The UGC-NET determines eligibility for assistant professor positions and junior research fellowships in Indian universities.
Education experts advocate for greater transparency in awarding grace marks for exam delays and call for tighter control over the entire supply chain of test materials, from printing to distribution. They also stress the need for better training of invigilators to detect malpractice at exam centres. The NTA is expected to collaborate more closely with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor the darknet and counter sophisticated hacking attempts. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing will have significant implications for the future of India’s entrance examinations.
