NEET-UG row: Plea in SC seeks exam cancellation, court-monitored CBI probe

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking scrapping of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and an apex court-monitored probe by the CBI or any other independent agency into the alleged irregularities in the test held on May 5.

The petition, filed by 20 students who had appeared for the medical entrance exam, has also sought a direction to the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others to conduct the test afresh.

While hearing separate petitions raising grievances over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)-2024, the apex court on Friday had sought responses from the Centre and the NTA on a plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of question paper leak and other irregularities in the exam.

The fresh plea stated that in view of "rampant irregularities and fraudulent practices", re-examination would only help in short-listing deserving students to get admission in medical institutions.

"Because the sanctity of the examination is questionable in view of the confirmed cases of leakage of question paper, with respect to which FIRs have been lodged and several persons have been arrested, as per the media reports," the plea, drawn by advocate Dheeraj Singh, said.

It said the result declared by the NTA disclosed that 67 candidates have scored the maximum possible marks 720 out of 720. A closer analysis would also reveal an extraordinary significant increase of more than 400 per cent in the number of students scoring 620-720 marks, the plea stated.

"The aforesaid material irregularities are required to be investigated thoroughly by CBI or by any other independent agency or committee under the supervision of this court so as to do justice to the large number of meritorious students whose claims have been defeated by systemic failure to ensure conduct of fair examination," it said.

The plea has sought a direction to a court-appointed committee or any other independent agency to conduct "post-exam analysis including academic background check, forensic analysis and investigate all such candidates who have scored 620 and above", under the supervision of the court.

It has also sought directions to the NTA and others to take effective steps to ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process and to address the concerns pertaining to alleged fraudulent practices, leakage of question papers, impersonation, unfair means etc in NEET-UG in the future.

The Centre and the NTA had on Thursday told the top court that they had cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and other such courses.

They will have the option to either take a retest or forgo the compensatory marks awarded to them for the loss of time, the Centre had said.

The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates took it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.

There have been allegations of question paper leaks in states like Bihar and the other irregularities in the prestigious exam.

The allegations have led to protests in several cities and filing of petitions in several high courts as also the Supreme Court. Scores of students protested in Delhi on June 10 seeking a probe into alleged irregularities.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.