Supreme Court Orders NTA To Publicize NEET-UG Marks By Saturday

In the NEET-UG exam case, the Supreme Court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to make the marks of all candidates public by Saturday, ensuring that the candidates’ names remain masked. This order was issued in light of ongoing investigations into allegations of exam irregularities, including the involvement of a “solver gang” and potential question paper leaks. The court is set to hear the case again on July 22.

During the recent hearing, the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Center and NTA, informed the court that a member of a solver gang was involved in the alleged leak, where questions were sent via WhatsApp from Patna to Hazaribagh. The CBI has filed a status report, which the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud acknowledged having reviewed, though it was not shared with the petitioners due to ongoing investigations.

The petitioners, representing a group of students, have raised concerns about the fairness of the exam, citing an alleged increase in the number of students scoring high marks and demanding a re-examination. They argue that the exam leak might have benefited some candidates disproportionately, impacting the overall fairness of the exam. The CJI questioned the basis of these allegations, asking the petitioners to provide concrete evidence of a large-scale paper leak.

Key points from the hearing include:

1. Public Disclosure of Marks: The NTA is to release the marks of all candidates by Saturday, with candidate names masked.
2. Exam Irregularities: Allegations include the involvement of a solver gang and potential paper leaks via WhatsApp.
3. Status Report: The CBI has submitted a status report on the investigation, which the court has reviewed.
4. Re-examination Demand: The petitioners argue that a significant number of students (around 56,000) might have been affected, demanding a re-examination.
5. Increase in High Scores: The petitioners claim a suspicious increase in the number of students scoring between 550 and 720 marks.
6. NTA’s Position: The Solicitor General argued against the claims, stating that only a small number of new applications (44 out of 15,094) affected the top 108,000 students.
7. Governance and Conduct: Questions were raised about the role of the governing body of NTA, with the Solicitor General clarifying that the body does not influence the conduct of exams.

The Supreme Court has emphasized the need for factual evidence to support the claims of a paper leak and has questioned the statistical significance of the alleged irregularities. The outcome of the next hearing on July 22 will be crucial in determining the next steps in addressing these allegations and ensuring the integrity of the NEET-UG examination process.