New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to submit a “full disclosure report” detailing the nature of the NEET paper leak to determine whether 2.4 million medical aspirants need to be retested.
“If you can not distinguish the grain from the chaff, that is tainted from the un-tainted, then a retest has to be ordered,” said Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing petitions challenging alleged malpractices and irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2024) conducted by NTA for admissions to medical colleges.
The top court’s verdict will impact the fate of about 2.4 million students aspiring to become a doctor.
“We intend to direct the National Testing Agency to make a full disclosure before the court, the following aspects: first, the nature of the leak; second, the locations where the leak occurred; third, the time lag between the occurrence of the leak and the examination; and fourth, the method of dissemination of the leaked question papers,” Chandrachud said in a verbal order.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court said it was important to gauge the extent of the leak, adding that if the exam paper was leaked via social media or an electronic platform it would have spread “like wildfire”.
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The apex court also sought a report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the status of the investigation into irregularities alleged in the medical entrance test.
On Monday, the top court sought details on the modality of the leak and what steps NTA had taken to find out the beneficiaries of the leak.
The CJI also asked if it was possible for the government and the NTA to use data analytics and cyber-forensics to identify suspect cases “so as to segregate the tainted from the untainted students”.
The NTA, government and CBI need to place everything on the record, whatever has been asked by the Supreme Court, by 5 pm on Wednesday. The court will next hear the case on Thursday.
What petitioners are seeking
Petitioners, including parents, students, and coaching centres, have raised objections to the granting of grace marks and demanded a fresh exam due to alleged paper leaks and other irregularities, and discrepancies in answer sheets.
They have also called for investigations by the CBI and the enforcement directorate (ED) on how these entrance exams are conducted.
Additionally, there are pleas for appointing an independent committee to thoroughly probe the case, which will impact the next batches of candidates as well.
The apex court said that the government would have to take a decision on whether counselling should be allowed to proceed. “The court is concerned about the steps which should be taken to ensure the sanctity of the test , so that such instances which have transpired during the present session are not repeated in the future,” the Supreme Court said.
The CJI had earlier noted during the heading that although there was no denying that there had been a NEET paper leak, the extent of the leak needs to be established, and whether it merits another retest, keeping in mind that it would impact the 2.4 million students who had appeared for the medical entrance test.
The apex court said that the government may consider setting up a multidisciplinary committee consisting of experts to ensure measures are being taken to update any further breaches in the future. If such a committee has been set up, then full details need to be submitted to the court.
The government has formed a committee to enhance the structure, processes, data management, and security protocols of the NTA, the body which conducts the exam.
Although the government has refused to conduct a retest for all students, it has annulled grace marks awarded to 1,563 students and conducted a retest for them.
A committee has been established to improve the structure, processes, data management and security protocols of the National Testing Agency. The agency’s director Subodh Kumar Singh has been sacked and a new law has been notified to prevent unfair practices in public examinations.
