July 1st 2024.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has decided to postpone the hearing of a plea for two weeks, which claims that there was manipulation of OMR sheets in the controversial NEET-UG exam of 2024. The plea was brought before a vacation bench consisting of Justice CT Ravikumar and Justice Manoj Misra. The petitioner, who had taken the medical entrance exam, claimed that their OMR sheet was swapped with someone else's.
The bench acknowledged that the petitioner is seeking permission to reappear for the exam, which was held on June 23. "The exam has already taken place on June 23," the bench stated. The petitioner's counsel pointed out that there are several other petitions pending before the apex court, alleging irregularities and calling for the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam of 2024.
At first, the bench had decided to list the petition for hearing next week. "If you are fortunate, then you will receive some order regarding the other matter," the bench remarked. The counsel representing the National Testing Agency requested that the plea be listed for hearing after two weeks. The apex court has now scheduled the matter for hearing after two weeks.
During a separate hearing on June 27, the top court had directed the NTA to inform them if there was a time limit for raising grievances regarding the OMR sheets provided to candidates who appeared for the NEET-UG exam of 2024. The other petitions related to the exam are scheduled to be heard in the apex court on July 8.
On June 20, the top court had issued notices to the Centre, NTA, and others in response to a number of petitions, including those seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam of 2024 and a court-monitored investigation. This came after mounting outrage over alleged irregularities in conducting the all-India medical entrance test. During a hearing on separate pleas related to the exam, the apex court had stated that even if there was "0.001 per cent negligence" in the conduct of the exam, it should be thoroughly addressed.
The NTA conducts the NEET-UG exam for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. On June 13, the Centre and NTA had informed the top court that they had canceled the grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates. These candidates were given the option to either take a retest or forgo the compensatory marks awarded for loss of time.
On Monday, the NTA announced the revised rank list after releasing the results of the retest, which was held on June 23. The NEET-UG exam of 2024 was conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centers, with approximately 24 lakh candidates appearing for it. The results were initially expected to be announced on June 14, but they were released earlier on June 4 due to the early completion of answer sheet evaluations.
The allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, have sparked protests in several cities and sparked disputes between rival political parties. A record-breaking 67 students scored a perfect 720 in the NTA's history, with six from a center in Haryana making the list. This has raised suspicions about irregularities, as it is alleged that the grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.
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