SC seeks response from NTA on NEET cancellation plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 11) refused to pass an interim directive to stay the process of counseling for admission to medical programs under the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) Examination (NEET-UG) 2024. A vacation bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, however, sought a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on a plea seeking cancellation of the NEET UG exam conducted on May 5 this year.

“It’s not so simple that because you did it it’s sacrosanct. The sanctity has been affected, so we need answers. How much time do you want (to respond to the petition)? Immediately upon reopening? Otherwise, counseling will begin. If you need more time, we will stop the counseling,” remarked the bench, also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah.

In response, the lawyer representing the NTA argued that a similar petition would be heard on July 8 before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Regarding this, the apex court said: “We will consider this matter on July 8. We will associate it with the pending request. In the meantime, you (NTA) should file the response.

Earlier, the apex court had refused to stay the declaration of NEET UG exam result but had issued notice to the NTA and others in a similar case. The plea filed by the young aspiring students seeks directions for conducting a speedy and thorough investigation into the “malpractices and frauds involved” in the NEET exam held on May 5 and a stay on declaration of results till until investigations into the paper leaks are completed.

Furthermore, he asked the NTA to recall the results of the review conducted on May 5 and conduct a fresh review after issuing a suitable public notice.