Supreme Court Debates NEET-UG 2024 Cancellation Amid Allegations of Malpractices

The Centre and National Testing Agency opposed calls to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam amid allegations of malpractices. They contended that scrapping the exam would harm honest candidates and argued there's no proof of large-scale breaches. The Supreme Court will review the matter on July 8.

The clamour for cancelling the NEET-UG 2024 exam has intensified due to alleged malpractices. However, the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the Supreme Court on Friday that cancelling the exam would be 'counterproductive' and 'seriously jeopardise' the futures of lakhs of honest candidates, citing a lack of evidence for large-scale breaches.

Conducted by the NTA, the NEET-UG exam is critical for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses. Accusations of question paper leaks and impersonation have fueled media debates and student protests. Despite these claims, the Union Education Ministry and the NTA filed affidavits opposing calls for cancellation, arguing this would harm countless honest examinees.

In its affidavit, the NTA emphasized that cancelling the exam would be harmful to public interest and the career prospects of genuine candidates. The Centre also stressed the balance of competing rights, stating that fairness must be ensured for students who did not resort to unfair means. The Supreme Court is set to address these issues on July 8.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)