Supreme Court Examines Petition By Coaching Institute Alleging NEET-UG Exam Irregularities

On Thursday, the Supreme Court raised concerns regarding a writ petition filed by a coaching institute alleging irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG examination.

The vacation bench, headed by Justice Manoj Misra, questioned the basis of the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to constitutional remedies.

The bench directed a query to the senior counsel representing Xylem Learning, a coaching institute assisting NEET aspirants, asking, “What fundamental rights of yours are violated to enable you to maintain a writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution?”

In response, senior advocate R Basant clarified that the plea submitted to the apex court listed individual students alongside the coaching institute as petitioners.

Meanwhile, the plea, presented through advocate A Karthik, highlighted alleged discrepancies, stating that several students had not received their OMR answer sheets as promised by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in its information bulletin.

“Students approached the NTA through emails, but received no response, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to review their answer sheets and compare them with the answer key to verify the accuracy of evaluation,” the plea stated.

The bench, which also included Justice S V N Bhatti, opted to consolidate the matter with other similar petitions already pending before the court.

The bench directed to consolidate this matter with the pending batch of petitions.

During the proceedings, Shri Vardhman Kaushik, representing the NTA, acknowledged receipt of notice from the court and indicated that related issues were already under the court’s consideration. He suggested tagging the current petition with those issues.

President Droupadi Murmu Highlights Government’s Stance

Meanwhile, addressing a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring fair investigations and stringent penalties in cases of exam paper leaks.

She underscored the necessity for bipartisan efforts in combating such malpractices nationwide.

“Parliament has enacted stringent laws against unfair means in examinations to uphold the sanctity of the assessment process,” President Murmu affirmed.

The developments mark a critical juncture in the ongoing legal scrutiny of the NEET-UG examination process, reflecting broader concerns over transparency and accountability in competitive exams across India.

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