No NEET re-exam, Supreme Court says 'can't conclude sanctity breached'
- In Reports
- 09:12 PM, Jul 23, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Supreme Court ruled on July 23 that there will be no re-test for the 2024 NEET-UG exam, stating that despite acknowledging the leakage of the question paper, there is insufficient evidence to prove a widespread compromise of the examination's integrity. The court emphasised that available data does not support the conclusion that the exam's sanctity was fundamentally compromised due to a systemic leak of the question paper.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud's bench highlighted that directing a re-test for the 23.33 lakh aspiring medical professionals would carry significant ramifications, including disruption to their travel plans and the admission schedule. The court underscored concerns about potential adverse effects on education and the future availability of medical professionals. Additionally, the bench noted the considerable disadvantage it could pose to marginalised students.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, in delivering today's order, referred to an earlier interim ruling where the court cautioned petitioners that ordering a re-test should be considered only as a last resort. The court noted that certain factors, such as a short time gap between the leak and the exam, argued against conducting a re-test, suggesting that if students had limited time to memorise leaked questions just before the exam, the leak might not have been widespread.
Despite this, the court acknowledged that the sanctity of the exam had indeed been compromised, affirming that it was evident that questions had been leaked. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud acknowledged a definitive fact: the question paper had been leaked at least for two exam centers, namely in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and Patna, Bihar.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has designated the Hazaribagh incident as 'Ground Zero' in their investigation of a nationwide racket involving a 'solver gang' responsible for leaking question papers. Multiple arrests have been made by the agency in connection with this case, including that of Rakesh Ranjan, also known as Rocky, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the operation.
During previous hearings, the court was informed that question papers had been circulated on social media platforms, including popular messaging apps like Telegram, at least 24 hours before the exam took place. Referring to reports submitted by the CBI on July 17 and July 21, the court noted that at least 155 students from centres in Hazaribagh and Patna appeared to have benefited from the leaked question papers.
In earlier discussions, the court had considered the possibility of segregating these students—identifying those who had benefited from the leak and possibly excluding them from the admission process.
The controversy surrounding the 2024 NEET-UG exam, conducted on May 5, came to light last month with the announcement of results. Concerns were raised particularly over the unusually high number of perfect scores—67 in total, with a coaching centre in Haryana's Bahadurgarh alone producing six perfect scores.
Questions were raised regarding the allocation of 'grace marks' to 1,563 students. A retest was organised for these students, but a substantial number did not attend, and those who did generally achieved lower scores. Notably, candidates from the Haryana centre who had previously scored a perfect 720 marks managed only 682 marks this time.
These issues have drawn attention to the National Testing Agency (NTA), a central government organisation responsible for conducting competitive exams such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET. The NET exam, which is conducted for appointments to professorial posts in colleges and universities, was invalidated due to indications that the integrity of the exam might have been compromised.
Similarly, the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG exam sparked a significant political dispute, with opposition parties criticising the government both inside and outside the Parliament.
Image Source: NDTV
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