SC cancels AIPMT 2015, orders fresh examination in 4 weeks

New Delhi In a verdict that will affect nearly 63 lakh students the Supreme Court today cancelled the All India PreMedical and PreDental Entrance Test AIPMT 2015 and ordered a fresh test within four weeks saying that the examination has become a suspect and there cannot be any compromise at any costA vacation bench of justices R K Agrawal and Amitava Roy said that although the reconduct of the examination would consume time and cause inconvenience but to maintain the impeccable and irrefutable credibility of examination this is the price the stakeholders would have to sufferWe are not unaware that in holding the present examination as well as in participating in the exercise all genuinely concerned have put in tireless efforts All these however have been rendered futile by a handful of elements seeking to reap undue financial gain by subjecting the process to their evil manoeuvresWe have thus no hesitation to order that the All India PreMedical and PreDental Test stands cancelled CBSE would now have to hold a fresh examination at the earliest We direct the Board in the attendant of facts and circumstances to hold the examination within a period of four weeks from today the bench saidThe apex court rejected CBSEs contention that the examination cannot be reconducted in less than four months and held that the Board ought to gear up in full to hold the examination afresh at the earliest In view of the widespread network that has operated as the status reports disclose and the admission of the persons arrested including some beneficiary candidates we are of the opinion in view of the strong possibilities of identification of other candidates as well involved in such malpractices that the examination has become a suspectIt is thus necessary for all the role players in the process to secure and sustain the confidence of the public in general and the student fraternity in particular in the system by its unquestionable trustworthiness Such a system is endorsed because of its credibility informed with guarantee of fairness transparency authenticity and sanctity There cannot be any compromise with these imperatives at any cost the bench saidIt also directed the investigating agency Haryana Police to complete its probe in the case with all alacrity and earnestness in accordance with law The vacation bench in its 41pagejudgement said that the investigation reveals that 44 candidates have been found to be confirmed beneficiaries of this unprincipled manoeuvre but their segregation by withholding their results for the time being cannot be the solution to the problemThe court further held that the examination stands denuded of its sanctity and keeping in view that the course would yield future generations of doctors of the country who would be in charge of public health their inherent merit to qualify for taking the course can by no means be compromisedWe are conscious of the fact that every examination being conducted by a human agency is likely to suffer from some shortcomings but deliberate inroads into its framework of the magnitude and the nature as exhibited demonstrate a deep seated and pervasive impact which ought not to be disregarded or glossed over lest it may amount to travesty of a proclaimed mechanism to impartially judge the comparative merit of the candidates partaking thereinIf such an examination is saved merit would be a casualty generating a sense of frustration in the genuine students with aversion to the concept of examination The possibility of leaning towards unfair means may also be the ultimate fall outEven if one undeserving candidate a beneficiary of such illegal machination though undetected is retained in the process it would be in denial of the claim of more deserving candidates it saidThe court said that endeavours should be made to minimise the delay after the examination is held afresh as directedWe part with the expectation that CBSE and the other stakeholder institutions would act in the right spirit in complying with this order for the paramountcy and trustworthiness of the system as well as the sustenance of the confidence that it enjoysWe all owe this in the minimum to the society in general and the student community in particular the bench said