The Supreme Court of India has started hearing petitions regarding the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam. The court has transferred cases related to the NEET-UG row from various high courts to the Supreme Court to avoid multiple litigations.
Meanwhile, a special court in Patna has sent the key accused in the NEET-UG paper-leak case to CBI custody for 14 days. The Supreme Court will hear over 40 petitions today related to NEET cancellation and against the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The outcome of the hearing will impact over 23 lakh medical aspirants seeking admission to MBBS and BDS courses in India. Allegations of a paper leak began circulating on social media before the exam, which the NTA initially denied. However, after an unusually high number of students scored top marks, suspicions of a paper leak grew.
Although the NTA issued a clarification on grace marks and toppers, many students demanded a re-exam. The Supreme Court has stated that a retest will be necessary if the paper was indeed leaked on social media. The Ministry of Education has urged IIT Madras to conduct a detailed report on the irregularities in the NEET results, which found no mass or localized malpractice in the exam.
The CBI has arrested a suspect, Pankaj Kumar, for allegedly stealing the NEET-UG paper from the NTA's trunk in Hazaribagh. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has opened the portal for medical colleges to submit details on available MBBS seats for NEET UG counselling 2024, which is scheduled to begin in the third week of July.
