Supreme Court Questions Integrity of NEET-UG After Exam Paper Leak

The Supreme Court acknowledged a question paper leak in the NEET-UG exam held on May 5 and asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to detail actions taken to identify those who benefited. The court seeks clarity on the leak's extent before deciding on a potential re-test.

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed that the NEET-UG exam held on May 5 was compromised due to a question paper leak and urged the National Testing Agency (NTA) to explain the steps taken to identify the beneficiaries of the leak.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, instructed the NTA to detail the actions taken to locate the centers or cities involved in the paper leak and the procedures used to identify those who profited from it.

The court stressed the importance of determining whether the leak was widespread or isolated to decide on a possible re-test. While acknowledging the exam's sanctity was compromised, the bench highlighted the need to assess the leak's scope before canceling the exam, which affected 23 lakh students.

The Chief Justice questioned the specifics of the leak, including the time, method of dissemination, and the NTA's actions to locate the beneficiaries. The court noted that a social media spread would indicate a wide-reaching leak.

The judges requested the NTA clarify when the leak occurred, how the question papers were shared, and the time between the leak and the May 5 exam. Additionally, they sought a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on its investigation into the leak.

The Supreme Court emphasized the need to scrutinize whether the breach was systemic and its impact on the examination's overall integrity. If the breach is widespread and beneficiaries cannot be segregated, a re-test may be necessary, but a specific center breach might not warrant such measures.

The court instructed the CBI, NTA, and Centre to file detailed reports by July 10, with the next hearing scheduled for July 11. The case arose from multiple pleas seeking to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct a fresh exam due to alleged paper leaks and malpractice.

The NEET-UG exam, managed by NTA, is the gateway for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses across India. The 2024 exam, held on May 5, saw participation from approximately 24 lakh candidates.

(With inputs from agencies.)