Centre Opposes NEET-UG 2024 Retest, Says It Will Harm Honest Candidates

The Centre has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, stating that there is no need to re-conduct NEET-UG 2024 due to a lack of evidence of widespread irregularities. The Supreme Court is set to hear multiple pleas on July 8, including those alleging issues in the May 5 examination and requesting a re-test.

On June 11, while addressing a plea for a fresh exam, the Supreme Court expressed concerns about the integrity of NEET-UG and sought responses from the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA). However, it did not halt the counselling process for successful candidates.

The Union Ministry of Education mentioned in its affidavit that cancelling the exam would "seriously jeopardise" the efforts of numerous honest candidates who took NEET-UG 2024. The ministry argued that without proof of a significant breach in confidentiality, it would be irrational to annul the entire examination and its results.

The government has also the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with conducting a thorough investigation into all alleged irregularities. NEET-UG is organised by the NTA for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will hear several petitions on July 8 seeking various forms of relief, including a re-test and an in-depth probe into alleged malpractices. On Thursday, over 50 successful NEET-UG candidates from Gujarat approached the top court to prevent the Centre and NTA from cancelling the exam.

Sidhharth Komal Singla and 55 other students filed a fresh plea through lawyer Devendra Singh. They argued that re-conducting NEET-UG would be unfair to diligent students and violate their Right to Education under Article 14 of the Constitution.

The integrity of NEET-UG has been questioned due to allegations of paper leaks and other irregularities, leading to widespread protests and political tensions. The CBI has arrested six individuals so far in connection with the paper leak case.

With recent postponements of exams like NEET-PG and cancellations such as UGC-NET due to similar issues, competitive exams in India are under increased scrutiny. The ongoing investigations aim to address these concerns comprehensively.