The Supreme Court, addressing concerns over the integrity of NEET UG 2024, emphasized that denying the problem’s existence only exacerbates the situation. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, leading the bench with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, acknowledged a clear breach in the examination’s sanctity due to alleged leaks but stressed the need to ascertain the scale and systemic impact before deciding on a retest.
“The fact that the sanctity of the examination has been breached… compromised, is beyond doubt. Now the question is how widespread is the breach,” Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said during the hearing.
The court set July 11 as the next hearing date, directing the government, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and National Testing Agency (NTA) to submit detailed responses by July 10. Chandrachud emphasized that if guilty parties cannot be distinctly identified, a retest may be inevitable to uphold fairness. However, he underscored the immense logistical and financial burdens such a decision would impose on over 23 lakh students.
“If we are not able to identify candidates who are guilty of wrongdoing, the retest has to be ordered. If you can’t distinguish the grain from the chaff, tainted from the untainted, it has to be ordered…,” said Chandrachud.
While acknowledging the breach’s severity, the court indicated a preference against a blanket retest if the leak was localized and beneficiaries can be isolated. It demanded full disclosure from NTA regarding the leak’s nature, affected areas, and the timeline between the incident and the May 5 exam. The CBI was also instructed to provide updates on its investigation.
“We are of the view that an order on merits would have to be deferred. NTA is directed to make full disclosure before the court… in three areas – nature of leak, places where the leak took place, and the lag of time between leak and conduct of the exam,” the court said.
The bench highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary expert team to prevent future breaches and sought clarity on the government’s measures in this regard. Concerns were raised over the possibility of electronic means like social media contributing to widespread leaks and the challenges of timely detection.
Chandrchud flagged anomalies such as an unusual spike in students scoring maximum marks and discrepancies between NEET performance and previous academic records. He stressed the need for data analytics to identify suspect cases accurately.
“We have to see what was the modality in which the leak took place. If the modality of the leak is through electronic means, social media, then there is a possibility that the leak is extremely wide,” the CJI said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta presented data showing top-ranking students were spread across numerous centers and cities, prompting the court to seek rigorous measures in identifying and penalizing beneficiaries. The withholding of results from implicated students was mentioned as a step towards maintaining exam integrity.
The Supreme Court concluded by asserting that while cancellation of the exam would be a last resort due to its far-reaching consequences, ensuring fairness and integrity remains paramount in its deliberations.
