NEET paper leak row: ‘Re-exam last resort, can’t dispute paper leak,’ Indian SC hounds NTA

The Supreme Court of India on Monday (Jul 8) began hearing pleas regarding the irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Undergraduates (NEET-UG) 2024 held on May 5. During the hearing, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud made it clear that the sanctity of the examination was "compromised" beyond doubt. "What is the consequence of the leak depends on the extensive nature of the leak," he added.

The CJI also said the cancellation of the massive examination, taken by 2.4 million students, was not appropriate. "Cancelling the examination for 24 lakh students is an option of last resort and should be considered only under extreme circumstances," he added.

The CJI also bombarded the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a series of questions and sought its answers by 5pm on Wednesday (Jul 10).

The following are the questions that were asked by the CJI:

-When were the question papers prepared?

- When did the NTA receive these question papers?

- How were the papers secured during their custody?

- When did the NTA dispatch the papers to the designated banks in the cities?

- Which printing press was used and what were the transportation arrangements?

Additionally, the court asked the examination body to make full disclosure in the matter regarding:

-When the leak took place.

-The manner in which the question papers were leaked and disseminated.

-Duration between leak and conduct of the examination.

The CJI instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide evidence on the timing and methods of the alleged paper leak before the court. The court also asked the central government to explore the feasibility of employing data analytics to distinguish between tainted and untainted students.

The matter will now be heard on Thursday (Jul 11).  

(With inputs from agencies)