On Thursday, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a series of petitions that allege irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination, with calls for its cancellation.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud will preside over the hearing, as indicated in the cause list published on the Supreme Court’s website.
The bench will also include Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
In a previous session, the bench agreed to adjourn the hearing at the joint request of the involved parties, noting that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had submitted a status report regarding the paper leak allegations.
The report is crucial to the ongoing investigation and the court’s decision-making process.
Government’s Stance On NEET Irregularities
In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Centre stated that an analysis conducted by IIT-Madras found no evidence of widespread malpractice or any localized advantage leading to abnormal scores in the NEET-UG exam held on 5 May 2024.
The data analysis indicated that the increase in students’ marks, particularly in the range of 550 to 720, was consistent across various cities and centers, which the Centre attributed to a 25% reduction in the syllabus.
The Centre explained, “Marks have increased, especially in the 550-720 range, due to a 25% syllabus reduction. The high scores are distributed across cities and centres, indicating a low likelihood of malpractice.”
Experts from IIT-Madras conducted a thorough data analysis using parameters such as marks distribution, city-wise and center-wise rank distribution, and the spread of candidates across a range of scores.
The analysis concluded that there was “no abnormality” in the results.
Previously, the Supreme Court had directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide a full disclosure about the nature of the paper leak, including the locations of the leaks and the time lag between the leak and the conduct of the examination.
The court also asked the CBI to submit a status report detailing the progress of the investigation and the evidence collected.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming hearing on 18 July will address these allegations and examine the findings presented by the CBI and the Centre.
The outcome of this hearing could have significant implications for the NEET-UG 2024 examination and its candidates.
As the legal proceedings continue, the attention remains on the Supreme Court’s verdict, which will determine the next steps for the NEET-UG 2024 examination and address the concerns raised by the petitioners.
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