SC refuses to defer counselling; 1,563 to retake exam on Sunday

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to defer the NEET-UG counselling process, set to begin on July 6, stating that it is not an “open and shut” exercise. This decision comes as political tensions rise over alleged irregularities and paper leaks associated with the exam.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which faced criticism for lapses in NEET and UGC-NET, is preparing to conduct a retest on Sunday for 1,563 candidates who were previously awarded grace marks due to time loss. NTA officials have announced that the re-exam will take place at seven centres, with one centre in Chandigarh remaining unchanged. NTA and Union education ministry officials will oversee the re-exam to ensure its smooth conduct.

The Congress party staged nationwide protests over the alleged irregularities, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who avoided the Delhi University’s Yoga Day event where students protested. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP government of “ruining the future” of millions of youth.

Education Minister Pradhan, however, dismissed calls for cancelling NEET, citing the potential impact on the careers of numerous students who rightfully cleared the exam despite isolated malpractice incidents.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati demanded strict action against those responsible for the NEET-UG question paper leak, urging the government to avoid politicising the issue.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha called for a CBI probe into the alleged connections between the arrested prime suspect in the NEET “paper leak” and officials linked to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose criticised the Modi government for what she described as a “governance deficit,” questioning the lack of accountability following the exam irregularities.

The NEET-UG exam, held on May 5 across 4,750 centres with approximately 24 lakh candidates, saw its results unexpectedly announced on June 4, earlier than the anticipated June 14 date. The results showed 67 students scoring a perfect 720, including six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad, raising suspicions of irregularities. Allegations have surfaced that grace marks played a role in the unprecedented number of perfect scores.

The Supreme Court, addressing the controversy, issued notices to the NTA, the Centre, and other parties in response to a petition seeking the exam’s cancellation due to alleged irregularities. A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti scheduled a hearing for July 8 to address these and other related pleas.

Petitioners’ counsel requested a brief pause in the counselling process until the July 8 hearing. However, the bench emphasised that the counselling process, starting July 6, is a continuous one. “Counselling does not mean open and shut. It is a process. That process commences on July 6,” the bench stated.

The first round of counselling is expected to last about a week. The Supreme Court underscored that any negligence in the exam’s conduct, even if minimal, should be thoroughly investigated.