The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled out the demand for a retest of the controversy-ridden examination for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET. The top court dismissed the pleas seeking cancellation and re-test. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard submissions from a battery of lawyers, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), and senior advocates Narender Hooda, Sanjay Hegde and Mathews Nedumapra for around four days.
Here are the key highlights of the Supreme Court's ruling
- There was not enough evidence to prove a systemic paper leak, hence there is no need for retest, says SC
- The data does not suggest that there has been a systematic breach or that the integrity of the entire examination has been compromised, says SC
- The bench dictated the operative part of the judgement keeping in mind the future of over two million students and said a detailed judgement will follow
- There is absence of material to conclude that result of NEET-UG 2024 exam is vitiated or there is systemic breach, says the CJI
- The fact that the question paper leak took place in Hazaribagh and Patna was not in dispute, says the bench
- The CBI has filed a status report as per our instructions, says the CJI
- According to CBI's investigation, there were 155 students who had benefited from the paper leak, says the CJI
Meanwhile, the NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. The NTA and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of a massive political row and protests by students over alleged large-scale malpractices ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation in the test held on May 5.
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