On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled against conducting a re-test for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024, deeming the measure “not justified” based on the available evidence. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, leading the bench, stated, “Cancelling the entire exam is not warranted based on established principles of this court and the evidence presented.” The bench, including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized the absence of evidence indicating systemic question paper leaks or other widespread malpractices, thus dismissing pleas for cancellation and a re-test.
Key Judgement Points
- Evidence-Based Decision: The Supreme Court found no material evidence suggesting that the NEET-UG 2024 exam results were compromised or that there was a systemic breach in the examination process.
- Impact on Students: The Chief Justice highlighted that ordering a re-test would significantly disrupt the lives of over 24 lakh students who appeared for the exam, as well as affect the admission schedule and medical education system.
- Localized Issues: Although the bench acknowledged the confirmed question paper leaks in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and Patna, Bihar, it did not find sufficient grounds to invalidate the entire exam.
Directive to National Testing Agency (NTA)
- Re-Tallying Scores: The Supreme Court directed the NTA to re-evaluate the NEET-UG scores following an expert opinion from IIT Delhi, which identified an issue with a physics question. The court accepted the report from IIT Delhi, which stated that only one answer option was correct, not two as previously indicated.
- Affected Students: This re-tallying decision impacts around 4.22 lakh students, potentially leading to a loss of four marks each, including 44 students who achieved perfect scores.
The bench provided the operative part of the judgement and assured that a detailed judgement would follow. Chief Justice Chandrachud underlined that any decision affecting the NEET-UG results would have significant implications, hence the careful consideration of evidence and broader impacts on students and the education system.
This ruling underscores the court’s commitment to upholding the integrity of standardized examinations while ensuring that decisions do not disproportionately impact a large number of students.
