The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, will hear petitions related to the alleged paper leak in the NEET UG 2024 medical entrance examination. These petitions highlight concerns about irregularities and malpractices during the exam held on May 5th, demanding a re-test.
In a previous hearing on July 8th, the Supreme Court expressed concern regarding the compromise of the examination’s integrity. The court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the exam, and the Union government to submit comprehensive affidavits. Additionally, the court requested a status update from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by July 10th regarding the examination.
The Union government, in its affidavit submitted on July 10th, stated that it had requested IIT Madras to conduct a thorough data analysis of the NEET-UG 2024 results, complying with the Supreme Court’s directives. The Centre informed the Supreme Court that no evidence of widespread cheating or specific groups of candidates unfairly benefiting from abnormal scores was found.
The NTA also submitted a separate affidavit to the Supreme Court. Their analysis of mark distribution at national, state, city, and center levels indicated no irregularities. NEET-UG 2024 was taken by 23.33 lakh students across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 cities overseas. Conducted by the NTA, NEET-UG is the entrance test for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions nationwide.
In its latest affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Union government reiterated its stance that there was no evidence of leaks in the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG examinations. The National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the Supreme Court that no question paper was reported missing, and no breaches were found in Patna.
Furthermore, IIT Madras conducted data analytics on the NEET-UG 2024 results, revealing that the distribution of marks follows a typical bell-shaped curve, consistent with patterns seen in large-scale examinations, indicating ‘no irregularities,’ the Centre informed the top court ahead of the hearing on July 11th.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a series of petitions regarding the alleged paper leak in the NEET UG medical entrance examination. The outcome of these hearings will determine the fate of the affected students and the future of the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
