The Supreme Court has scheduled 18 July for the hearing on a series of petitions alleging irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG examination, following a session presided over by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Thursday.
The Bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, deliberated early in the day on the scheduling of the hearing, with the petitioner’s side advocating for a Monday listing due to late-night service of affidavits by the Centre and National Testing Agency (NTA).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta expressed personal constraints for Monday and Tuesday appearances, prompting the Bench to settle on the joint request for an 18 July listing.
The Centre, in its latest affidavit submitted to the apex court, cited data analysis by IIT-Madras indicating an overall increase in student marks due to a 25% reduction in syllabus, dismissing allegations of widespread malpractice or localized advantage in specific regions.
“Experts from IIT-Madras found no abnormality in marks distribution, city-wise rankings, or candidate spread across centres,” the affidavit affirmed, countering claims of exam irregularities.
Earlier discussions on Monday had directed the NTA to disclose details regarding the alleged paper leak, including locations and timing, and instructed the CBI to submit a status report on its investigation progress and findings.
The upcoming hearing on 18 July is likely to further scrutinize these issues and could potentially influence the future of NEET-UG examination protocols based on judicial review and investigative outcomes.
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