NEET-UG row: SC seeks details on paper leak, says re-test has to be ordered if exam sanctity is 'lost'

Observing that a retest has to be ordered if sanctity of the NEETUG 2024 is lost the Supreme Court on Monday sought information from the National Testing Agency and the CBI about timing of the question paper leak and duration between the leak and the actual testThe apex court also sought the number of wrongdoers identified so far and the methodology adopted for the paper leakOne thing is clear that leak of question paper has taken place a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said adding that extent of question paper leak and the beneficiaries across geographical boundaries have to be ascertained before the court may order retest in the controversyridden medical entrance exam conducted on May 5Posting for July 11 the next hearing on a batch of pleas alleging irregularities in the NEETUG the court directed the investigating officer of the CBI which is conducting probe into the allegations of malpractices OMR sheet manipulation impersonation and cheating to place before it a report indicating the status of probeReferring to legal position on ordering retest the top court said it will have to be scrutinised whether the alleged breach has taken place at systemic level whether the breach has affected integrity of the entire exam process and whether it is possible to segregate the beneficiaries of fraud from the untainted studentsIn a situation where breach affects the entirety of process and it is not possible to segregate the beneficiaries from others it may be necessary to order a retest said the bench also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj MisraIt said the NTA must disclose about the steps taken so far for identification of beneficiaries of wrongdoingsThe bench asked the NTA to apprise it about the steps taken to identify the centres and cities where the question paper leak took place the modalities followed for identifying the beneficiaries and their numbers ascertained so farExpressing concern over ensuring the sanctity of NEETUG the court said it would be necessary for the government to consider setting up a multidisciplinary team of renowned experts so that such instances are not repeated in futureDuring the hearing the bench observed if the sanctity of NEETUG 2024 is lost and if the leak of its question paper has been propagated through social media then a retest has to be orderedIt said if the question paper leak was taking place through Telegram WhatsApp and electronic means then it spreads like wildfireIf the sanctity of the exam is lost then a retest has to be ordered If we are unable to identify those who are guilty then a retest has to be ordered the bench observedLet us not be in selfdenial about what happened it said adding Assuming that the government does not cancel the exam what will it do to identify the beneficiaries of the question paper leak The apex court was hearing more than 30 pleas related to the controversyridden NEETUG 2024 including those alleging irregularities and malpractices in the May 5 test and seeking a direction to conduct it afreshThere is no question that leak of question paper has taken place We are determining the extent of the leak the bench observedIt said there were certain red flags as 67 candidates had scored 720 out of 720In the previous years the proportion was very low the bench addedThe top court said it wanted to know how many people benefited from the question paper leak and what actions were taken against them by the CentreResults of how many wrongdoers have been withheld and we want to know the geographical distribution of such beneficiaries it saidThe bench is also hearing a separate plea of over 50 successful Gujaratbased NEETUG candidates seeking a direction to restrain the Centre and the NTA from cancelling the medical entrance examThe lawyers representing a petitioner started the submissions saying that they were seeking the cancellation of the exam on grounds such as paper leak OMR sheet manipulation impersonation and cheatingThe Centre and the NTA which conducts NEETUG recently told the apex court through their affidavits that scrapping the exam would be counterproductive and seriously jeopardise lakhs of honest candidates in the absence of any proof of largescale breach of confidentialityThe NTA and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of media debates and protests by students and political parties over alleged largescale malpractices ranging from question paper leak to impersonation in the testThe National EligibilitycumEntrance TestUndergraduate NEETUG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS BDS AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the countryAllegations of irregularities including paper leaks have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political partiesIn NEETUG 2024 a total of 67 students had scored a perfect 720 unprecedented in the NTAs history with six from a Haryana centre figuring in the list raising suspicions about irregularities in the examination It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to the 67 students sharing the top rankThe number of candidates sharing the top rank in the NEETUG was reduced to 61 from 67 as the NTA announced the revised results on July 1 PTI ABA SJK ABA KVK KVK KVKThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever