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Supreme Court

Supreme Court Upholds NEET (UG) 2024 Integrity Despite Leak Allegations. Ensures Fairness with Revised Answer Key and Permits Legal Remedies for Grievances

by Admin

Summary of Judgement

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG) 2024, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, had approximately 23,33,297 candidates competing for 1.08 lakh medical seats. Allegations of question paper leakage led to petitions for a re-test. The Supreme Court ordered investigations and reviewed data, concluding that the integrity of the examination was not systemically compromised. It was decided not to cancel the exam, and a revised answer key was provided. The Court permitted students with grievances to seek remedies in the jurisdictional High Courts.

1. Examination Overview

NEET (UG) 2024 was conducted on May 5, 2024, by NTA.

Approximately 23,33,297 candidates appeared for 1.08 lakh medical seats.

2. Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of question paper leakage in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and Patna, Bihar.

Petitioners sought a re-test citing systemic deficiencies.

3. Court Proceedings and Investigation

The Supreme Court ordered disclosures from NTA, Union of India, and CBI.

Investigations indicated that 155 students might have benefited from the leak.

4. Expert Analysis and Conclusion

The Court considered data and reports, including an IIT Madras analysis.

It concluded no systemic breach of the examination's integrity.

5. Decision on the Examination

The Court decided against canceling the entire NEET (UG) 2024 examination.

A revised answer key was established based on an expert committee's review from IIT Delhi.

6. Options for Affected Students

Students with grievances can seek legal remedies in jurisdictional High Courts.

7. Future Directions

The Union Government formed a seven-member Expert Committee to ensure the integrity of future exams.

Case Title: Vanshika Yadav Versus Union of India and Others

Citation: 2024 LawText (SC) (7) 236

Case Number: [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 335 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 362 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 369 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 368 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 431 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 379 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 377 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 376 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 375 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 425 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 401 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 415 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 407 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 412 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 383 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 419 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 406 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 403 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 398 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 414 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 423 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 404 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 427 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 441 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 420 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 430 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 446 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 410 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 382 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 381 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 394 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 384 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 389 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 417 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 393 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 435 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) Diary No. 28729 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1741 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 449 of 2024] [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 392 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1659 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1597 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1600 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1602 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1596 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1808 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1741 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1737 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1735 of 2024] Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 1730 of 2024]

Date of Decision: 2024-07-23