The Supreme Court has decided there will be no re-test for the 2024 NEET-UG exam, citing a lack of evidence suggesting a “systemic breach” or that the “sanctity” of the exam was compromised due to two localized question paper leaks. While acknowledging the leaks, the court found no material evidence indicating the overall result of the exam was affected or that the breach was widespread.
The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued this decision while hearing multiple petitions calling for either a re-test or cancellation of the NEET-UG exam, a crucial qualifying test for undergraduate medical courses.
The Supreme Court emphasized the significant consequences of ordering a re-test for 23.33 lakh aspiring medical professionals. Such an order would disrupt the admission schedule, impact education timelines, and affect the future availability of medical professionals. The court also highlighted the potential disadvantage to marginalized students.
In its interim ruling earlier this month, the court had advised petitioners that a re-test would be a “last option” and that the limited time between the leak and the exam argued against it. The court recognized that if the leak had occurred on the morning of the exam, its spread might have been limited.
Despite this, the court acknowledged today that the question paper had been leaked at least at two exam centers: one in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and another in Patna, Bihar. The Hazaribagh leak, identified as ‘Ground Zero’ by the CBI, led to an investigation into a nation-wide ‘solver gang’ racket, resulting in multiple arrests, including Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky, the alleged kingpin. Previous hearings revealed that question papers were accessible on social media and messaging apps like Telegram at least 24 hours before the exam.
While the court admitted the fact of the leaks, it concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify a re-test, maintaining the integrity and schedule of the NEET-UG exam.
