SC issues notice to Centre, NTA on NEET UG 2024 paper leak case

New Delhi, June 11: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) in response to a plea seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exams due to allegations of question paper leaks.

The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, emphasised that the “sanctity has been affected” and demanded answers regarding the matter. Despite these concerns, the Court refused to halt the counselling process for students who have passed the exam.

The Court was addressing multiple petitions calling for the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam, citing paper leaks and other irregularities this year. Similar petitions are also pending in various High Courts, including those in Delhi and Calcutta. One specific petition before the Supreme Court mentioned allegations of a paper leak in Patna and the distribution of incorrect question papers to candidates in Rajasthan.

Media reports have highlighted an unusually high number of candidates achieving perfect scores in the results published on June 4. Additionally, candidates have raised concerns about irregularities in the awarding of compensatory marks for lost time during the exam.

Previously, on May 17, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra declined to stay the publication of the NEET-UG 2024 results. However, the bench did issue a notice regarding the plea at that time.