No retest needed for NEET-UG 2024, citing adverse impact on honest students: Centre tells SC

PTC News Desk: In a document submitted to the Supreme Court, the Center argues that there is no need to retake NEET-UG 2024 in the absence of evidence of significant abnormalities in the test.

As stated in its affidavit, the Union Ministry of Education, eliminating the exam completely would “seriously jeopardise” the lakhs of sincere applicants who attempted the NEET-UG 2024 questions.

“It is also submitted that at the same time, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination,” the Center stated.

Additionally, the Union government told the court that it has requested that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carry out an exhaustive investigation into the whole range of purported anomalies.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) administers NEET-UG for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other relevant courses in public and private universities. Allegations of paper leaks and other anomalies have cast doubt on the integrity of the NEET-UG examination, sparking political tensions and huge protests.

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In addressing a request to reschedule the exam, the Supreme Court on June 11 expressed concerns regarding the integrity of NEET-UG and required answers from the NTA and the Center.

The court declined to halt the successful candidates’ counseling, nevertheless.On July 8, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is expected to hear a number of petitions that ask for different kinds of relief, such as a retest and a comprehensive probe into the alleged malpractices.

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More than fifty Gujarat-based NEET-UG students who were successful filed a petition with the high court on Thursday, asking for an order to prevent the NTA and the Center from calling off the contentious exam. Through attorney Devendra Singh, Sidhharth Komal Singla and fifty-five other pupils submitted a new plea.

“The Hon’ble court may further direct the respondents (Centre and the NTA) not to re-conduct NEET-UG… as that would lead to the infringement of the Right to Education and therefore violate Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution, as well as being unreasonable and harsh for the honest and hardworking students,” the statement read.

The government’s decision to postpone the NEET-PG exam and cancel the UGC-NET has drawn attention to purported irregularities in competitive exams held in India.In the case of the NEET-UG paper leak, the CBI has made six arrests thus far.

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