NEET-UG 2024 Exam Issue: Supreme Court Stays Proceedings In Three High Courts
The court also once again declined to impose a ban on the counselling process for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test.
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed proceedings in petitions filed in Rajasthan, Calcutta and Bombay High Courts, concerning the alleged paper leak and discrepancies in the NEET-UG 2024 exam held on May 5 this year. Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti issued this order while considering a transfer petition filed by the National Testing Agency, which seeks to move these cases from the High Courts to the Supreme Court.
The court also once again declined to impose a ban on the counselling process for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The apex court’s refusal to intervene in the counseling process reaffirms its stance that the NEET counselling should proceed as scheduled. Candidates who have qualified in the NEET-UG 2024 examination can continue with the counselling process without any hindrance.
The Supreme Court has also issued notice to both the National Testing Agency and the central government in response to other petitions related to NEET. These petitions raise concerns about various aspects of the examination, including the alleged paper leak and the NTA’s decision to award grace marks to certain candidates.
The court has set July 8 as the next hearing date in the matter, during which it will address the pending petitions and deliberate on the overall conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of scorecards for 1,563 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) candidates, who were awarded grace marks following a normalisation formula.
The court had directed that these candidates will be informed of their actual marks, excluding the compensatory marks, and given the option to retake the exam, the court said.
The retest is likely to take place on June 23, but a date has not been confirmed by the National Testing Agency yet. Candidates who opt not to retake the exam will have their actual marks considered for counselling. The court also emphasised that the candidates' decision to retake the exam is voluntary.
After the NEET UG 2024 results were declared on June 4, widespread allegations of irregularities and demands for a re-examination echoed across the country. Over 24 lakh candidates across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas venues, took the examination.
