Supreme Court Directs NTA to Release City and Center Wise Marks for NEET UG 2024 Candidates
As per the latest updates, the Supreme Court (SC) of India has instructed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish city and center-wise marks of all candidates who appeared for the NEET UG 2024 exam on the NTA website by 12 PM on 20 July 2024. The court has asked the exam authority to mask the student's identity while uploading the results. The NEET UG 2024 next hearing is scheduled for 22 July 2024. This directive comes in response to several petitions from students and parents seeking greater accountability and fairness in the examination process.
On 18 July 2024, the SC announced the final verdict for all the petitions against NEET UG 2024 Results. The hearing commenced by a bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justices J.B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra. Almost 40 petitions the bench is hearing.
Following demands the petitions filed included as mentioned below:-
1. Cancellation of the entire NEET-UG 2024 exam.
2. Re-test for a fair and secure exam.
3. Investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Previously, the Bench, which also included Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, highlighted that there was no doubt the integrity of the exam had been compromised. However, they emphasized that completely canceling the exam would be considered a "last resort" due to its impact on over 23 lakh students.
From the under-fire NTA - the National Testing Agency the SC is also hearing petitions, which is a central body responsible for the conduct of competitive exams - seeking cases transfer filed by various state police forces to the respective High Courts to avoid potential duplication and confusion.
During the hearing, CJI DY Chandrachud informed the petitioners that they needed to demonstrate that the leak was widespread and impacted the entire examination to justify canceling it. He emphasized that any decision to hold a re-examination must be based on solid evidence showing that the integrity of the entire test was compromised.
However, in its written submission, the NTA highlighted that the selection process is merit-based, prioritizing ranks over absolute marks. The NTA argued that relative merit is crucial in competitive exams, ensuring that deserving candidates are accurately recognized and chosen.
What were the earlier court proceedings?
The Court allowed the adjournment so the petitioners could respond to the affidavits. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, initially suggested scheduling the matters for July 15. However, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta mentioned a personal conflict on July 15 and 16. Since July 17 was a holiday, the SC rescheduled the matters for July 18.
In its Affidavit what did the centre say?
In an affidavit submitted on July 10, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that the Ministry of Education had tasked IIT Madras with conducting a comprehensive data analysis of the NEET-UG 2024 results. The affidavit noted that the marks distribution followed a typical bell-shaped curve, a common pattern in large-scale exams.
The council has alleged irregularities in the IIT Madras report submitted to the apex court. “One Hardayal School from Bahadurgarh has a unique case...there were 6 individuals involved. What happened in Bahadurgarh is very concerning. The NTA never revealed that the question paper taken from Canara Bank was distributed. There was no delay. The school principal confirmed that they collected papers from both SBI and Canara Bank,” they stated.
