SC to hear batch of pleas on July 8
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of pleas concerning the controversy-ridden NEET-UG on July 8, including allegations of irregularities in the May 5 examination and requests for it to be held afresh.
According to the cause list for July 8 uploaded on the apex court’s website, the batch of 26 petitions will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is a critical exam for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India. The 2024 NEET-UG was held across 4,750 centres on May 5, with approximately 24 lakh candidates appearing. Initially expected on June 14, the results were announced on June 4 due to the early completion of answer-sheet evaluation. However, allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, have sparked protests in several cities and have become a point of contention between rival political parties.
On June 11, the Supreme Court heard a plea seeking a fresh exam due to alleged question paper leaks and other malpractices. The court noted that the sanctity of the NEET-UG had been affected and sought responses from the Centre and the NTA on the petition. However, it refused to stay the counselling of successful candidates for admissions to MBBS, BDS, and other courses.
On June 20, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, the NTA, and others on several petitions, including those calling for the scrapping of the NEET-UG and a court-monitored probe into the alleged irregularities. Hearing separate pleas on June 18, the apex court emphasised that even minimal negligence in the conduct of the examination should be thoroughly investigated.
