The Supreme Court on Tuesday has upheld the validity of the NEET-UG 2024 examination, conducted on May 5, ruling out any systemic breach.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, found no evidence suggesting the exam results were compromised or that a widespread leak occurred.
The court acknowledged that there were instances of the NEET-UG paper being leaked at centres in Hazaribagh and Patna but clarified that this did not indicate a broader issue. The investigation revealed that 155 students from these centres benefited from the fraud, but the probe by the CBI is still ongoing.
Ordering a re-exam, the bench noted, would disrupt the academic schedule for over 23 lakh students who took the exam and have a cascading effect on future exams. The court emphasized the need to provide certainty and finality to the dispute affecting millions of students.
The decision came in response to multiple pleas seeking to annul the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct a new exam due to alleged paper leaks and malpractices. Despite the isolated incidents, the court concluded that a re-exam would have severe consequences and upheld the results.
NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is crucial for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses across India. The 2024 exam saw around 24 lakh candidates appear across 4,750 centres.
