NEET-UG 2024: Education Ministry opposes cancellation of exam in Supreme Court case

The NEET-UG exam faced problems right from the day of the exam itself, May 5, 2024, when allegations of paper leaks were leveled. However, the situation worsened when the National Testing Agency (NTA) that conducts the NEET exam released the results on June 4, 2024.

Students protest against the leak of NEET papers. (Image credit: PTI.)

New Delhi: The Education Ministry has opposed the cancellation of NEET-UG exams in the Supreme Court, saying that scrapping the exam in its entirety would seriously jeopardise the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted the question paper in 2024.

In a filing before the Supreme Court, the education ministry said that “in the absence of evidence of large-scale breach of confidentiality in an all-India examination, it would not be rational to cancel the examination in its entirety when the results have already been declared.”

The government also argued before the Supreme Court that competing rights have been created in the NEET-UG examination, which should not compromise the interests of a large number of students who have appeared in the examination without adopting any allegedly unfair means.

The Education Ministry’s statement follows a series of petitions filed in the Supreme Court

The affidavit filed with the Education Ministry comes in response to a series of petitions filed in the Supreme Court by students, their wards, coaching centres and public-spirited citizens demanding cancellation of the examination.

These petitions will be considered by the Supreme Court and heard on July 8.

Ironically, the Education Ministry in its affidavit admits in the same breath that after the conduct of the NEET exam, there were cases of irregularities/cheating/impersonation and malpractices and the Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating the matter.

The affidavit adds that “while genuine concerns based on proven facts must be taken into account (by the court), other applications merely based on conjecture and supposition without any factual basis must be dismissed, so as not to cause unnecessary suffering and distress to honest respondents and their families.”

Indian government committed to protecting interests of lakhs of students: Education Ministry

The affidavit also states that the Indian government is committed to protecting the interests of lakhs of students who have cleared the NEET UG exam fairly and after years of hard work.

NEET-UG exams spark nationwide protests over allegations of irregularities

The NEET-UG exam faced problems right from the exam day itself, May 5, 2024, when allegations of paper leaks were leveled. However, the situation worsened when the National Testing Agency (NTA) that conducts the NEET exam released the results on June 4, 2024.

Students were shocked to learn that many candidates who took the exam were given grace points for wasting time, a provision that was not part of the exam.

Moreover, investigations by the Bihar Police and Gujarat Police into the mismanagement of the exams have revealed large-scale irregularities in the conduct of the exam.

The NEET-UG exams triggered protests across the country with students and their family members taking to the streets demanding a Re-NEET as the credibility of the exam had been undermined.