The Central Government has presented its stance to the Supreme Court, asserting that it would be irrational to annul the entire NEET-UG 2024 examination in the absence of concrete proof of any large-scale breaches of confidentiality. The Ministry of Education emphasized that scrapping the exam, which was held on May 5, would “seriously jeopardise” the interests of the numerous honest candidates who participated.
The Ministry highlighted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been tasked with investigating the allegations comprising conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, and breach of trust. They clarified that any criminal elements involved in violating the confidentiality of the exams should be dealt with sternly and subjected to the full force of the law.
In presenting their case, the government stressed that scrapping the entire exam would not be rational and would disrupt the lives of a vast number of students who took the exam without engaging in any unfair practices. The affidavit filed by the Centre elucidated that every exam creates competing rights; thus, the unaffected students’ interests must be safeguarded from the adverse consequences of canceling the examination.
The Ministry of Education stated that the Union of India is committed to conducting all competitive exams in a “fair and transparent manner.” A high-level committee has been formed to propose measures for the effective, smooth, and transparent conduct of the exams by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This committee has already begun its work and has invited suggestions from the public for potential reforms.
Concurrently, the NTA filed an affidavit opposing the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024. The agency stated that the alleged malpractices were confined to specific centers in Patna and Godhra, and thus the entire examination should not be annulled based on these isolated incidents. The NTA argued that the integrity of NEET-UG could not be impugned by sporadic instances, which affected a very small number of candidates.
. They underscored that a large number of students who were not involved in any malpractices should not be made to suffer.
The top court had previously refused to halt the counseling sessions for NEET-UG 2024, and a hearing on the batch of petitions seeking to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the exam afresh was scheduled for July 8. The petitions were grounded on claims of paper leakage and other malpractices.
During the hearing, the Ministry contended that the prayers for cancellation of the exam and for a re-test, based on “surmises” and “conjectures,” should be dismissed. The Ministry further informed the apex court about the formation of the high-level committee to ensure transparency and efficiency in future examinations conducted by the NTA, aiming to avoid the recurrence of such issues.
The NTA reiterated that the isolated and sporadic instances of alleged paper leak should not be deemed sufficient to question the validity of the entire NEET-UG 2024 examination. It emphasized that a large proportion of candidates, who had no involvement in the alleged malpractices, should not face the adverse consequences of re-conducting the exam.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had communicated to the Centre and the NTA that any negligence in conducting the NEET-UG exam should be addressed thoroughly. The NEET-UG examination, administered by the NTA, serves as a crucial gateway for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses across government and private institutions in India.
This development underscores the government’s and the examining body’s firm stance on maintaining the sanctity of competitive examinations, while simultaneously ensuring that any malpractices are rigorously investigated and perpetrators are brought to justice. The central focus remains on balancing the integrity of the examination process with the fair treatment of the vast majority of honest candidates.
