NEET-UG exam row: Supreme Court says any negligence should be thoroughly dealt with

Supreme Court/ File pic

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, said that any negligence, no matter how little, in administering the NEET-UG 2024 examination must be thoroughly investigated. The top court, hearing the case on the NEET-UG exam row, stressed the effort students put into studying for the tests and remarked that litigation should not be treated adversarially.

"Even if there is 0.001 per cent negligence on the part of anyone, it should be thoroughly dealt with," a vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti warned counsel representing the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers the national medical entrance exam.

The panel was hearing petitions regarding issues over the NEET-UG exam row, especially the issue of grace marks given to candidates.

The court stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the examination process, stating that a fake candidate becoming a doctor would be harmful to society. The bench told the NTA's counsel, "If there is a mistake, acknowledge it and take appropriate action. This instills confidence in your performance."

The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing on the NEET-UG exam row for July 8, when the Centre and NTA are due to respond to the new petitions within two weeks. These petitions also request for a new examination.

During a previous session, the Supreme Court sought comments from the Centre and the NTA on a request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into claims of question paper leaks and other irregularities in the NEET-UG exam, the report added.

The report stated that on June 13, the Centre and the NTA told the court that the grace marks issued to 1,563 candidates had been cancelled. These applicants will have the choice of retaking the exam or forgoing the compensating marks amid the NEET-UG exam row.

Around 24 lakh students took part in the NEET-UG 2024 examination, which was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres. The results were announced on June 4, which was earlier than expected, the report added.

Allegations of question paper leaks, particularly in Bihar, and other irregularities have sparked significant demonstrations and numerous complaints. In an unprecedented result, 67 pupils received a perfect 720, with six coming from a single centre in Haryana's Faridabad, raising concerns about anomalies and the use of grace marks. The NEET-UG exam is required for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other relevant courses in government and private institutions throughout India.