'Cancellation will be last resort': SC's key observations on NEET-UG 2024 paper leak

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that if the integrity of the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam has been compromised and the question paper leaked on social media platforms, a review must be conducted. The court sought accountability from the authorities, adjourning the matter for further review and directing the CBI to provide a status report by Wednesday.

The Supreme Court has heard over 30 petitions regarding the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. These petitions include allegations of irregularities and malpractices in the May 5 exam, with some seeking a direction to conduct the exam again.

The CJI-led bench also heard a separate plea filed by over 50 NEET-UG candidates from Gujarat, seeking a direction to the court to restrain the Centre and the NTA from invalidating the impugned exam.

The NEET-UG exam was marred by allegations of malpractices, including leaked papers and questionable marking methods, which triggered widespread anger and protests across the country. As a result, some students were asked to retake the NEET UG exam, and the NEET-PG exam was postponed.

Here is what SC said:

The court acknowledged the leak of the question paper and stressed that if the sanctity of the exam is lost, a retest becomes necessary. “There is no doubt that the question paper was leaked, we are determining the extent of the leak,” the top court said.
The bench noted that the nature of leakage has to be ascertained before conducting a retest of the exam. “You do not cancel an entire exam just because 2 students have committed fraud. Therefore, we have to be cautious about the nature of leakage. Before ordering a retest, we have to be aware of the magnitude of leakage as we are dealing with 23 lakh students,” the Supreme Court bench said.

Highlighting the rapid spread of leaks through digital platforms and the potential consequences for the integrity of examinations, SC said, “If the leak of documents happens through Telegram, WhatsApp and electronic means, then it spreads like wildfire. If the leak has spread through social media, then a retest should be ordered.”
Asked about the action taken by the government, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra of the trial court said: “We have to be ruthless towards the wrongdoers and those who have benefited from the leak of documents. What action has the government taken?”
The Supreme Court has asked the CBI to file a progress report on the investigations into the leaked documents by Wednesday. The cases will be heard again on Thursday. The Supreme Court has also asked the NTA and the Centre to respond to all the questions raised by it and said a decision on reassessment would be taken based on these responses.
The CJI directed the NTA to make full disclosure on three aspects: (1) the nature of the leak (2) the places where the leak took place and (3) the time gap between the occurrence of the leak and the conduct of the examination.

In their recent affidavits submitted to the Supreme Court, the Centre and the NTA responsible for conducting the NEET-UG have said that cancelling the exam would be “counterproductive” and “seriously jeopardise” the prospects of lakhs of honest candidates, given the absence of evidence pointing to large-scale breach of confidentiality.

To address concerns about inflated marks caused by the awarding of “grace marks”, authorities have decided to hold a retest on June 23 for the 1,563 affected candidates.

In response to the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and PhD NET entrance exams, the Centre has removed Subodh Singh as the NTA’s director general. It has also formed a high-level panel, chaired by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan, to ensure that the exams conducted by the agency are transparent, smooth and fair.

The NEET-UG and UGC-NET questions are currently under investigation by the CBI.