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The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre, CBI, Bihar, and the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding a plea for a CBI probe into the alleged question paper leak during this year’s NEET-UG exam. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Meha granted the authorities two weeks to respond and scheduled the next hearing for July 9.
The NEET-UG, held on May 5, is a crucial exam for students seeking admission to undergraduate medical seats. Currently, Bihar police are investigating the alleged paper leak. However, some aggrieved students have petitioned the court for a CBI investigation, seeking a more thorough and impartial probe.
The bench declined to issue an ex-parte order for a CBI probe, emphasizing the need to hear the government’s perspective first. On Thursday, the court had accepted the Centre’s proposal to cancel the controversially awarded grace marks to 1,563 candidates and conduct a retest for them. Candidates who opt out of the retest will receive their actual marks, minus the grace marks.
During Friday’s hearing, the urgency of the alleged paper leak was highlighted by the petitioner’s counsel, who cited student suicides in Kota, a prominent educational hub. However, Justice Nath advised against making emotional arguments, focusing instead on the specifics of the case.
The bench acknowledged the significant impact of NEET-UG on 24 lakh students, expressing its awareness of the broader implications. It also permitted the NTA to request the transfer of various NEET-related petitions pending before different high courts to the Supreme Court to avoid conflicting orders and multiple proceedings.
This year’s NEET-UG saw participation from around 22 lakh students across 4,470 centres in 571 cities, including 14 foreign cities. The NTA’s unilateral decision to award grace marks to some candidates due to time lost during the exam sparked significant controversy. Additionally, there were concerns about the record number of students scoring full marks, with 67 candidates achieving 720 out of 720, and two others scoring 718 and 719. The early announcement of results, 10 days ahead of schedule, also drew criticism.
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case on July 9, the outcome will be closely watched by millions of students and their families.