NEET UG 2024: On Thursday, a bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud postponed the hearing on several cases about the purported paper leak in the NEET UG medical entrance test till July 18. The petitions demanding a retest of the exam and accusations of irregularities and malpractices during the May 5 test were being heard by the bench.
The CJI-led bench adjourned the case, pointing out that before arguments, some of the parties needed time to consider the responses to the affidavits submitted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Center. Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra make up the other two judges on the bench.
Why was today’s hearing postponed?
According to a report on the legal news website LiveLaw, the Court granted the adjournment so that the petitioners may submit their answers to the affidavits that the Center and the National Testing Agency filed yesterday. The panel headed by India’s Chief Justice, DY Chandrachud, first suggested listing the cases on July 15. However, on July 15 and 16, India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta cited a personal issue. The Supreme Court then moved the cases to July 18 because July 17 was a holiday.
What transpired during the previous hearing?
The Supreme Court declared during the previous hearing on July 8 that NEET-UG 2024’s integrity had been jeopardized. The highest court instructed the NTA, which administers the test, asking the Union government to provide thorough affidavits, as well as a request for a progress report on the NEET UG examination from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by July 10.
What was stated in the affidavit by the government?
In a July 10 affidavit, the Union government stated that, following the Supreme Court’s orders, the Ministry of Education had asked IIT Madras to perform extensive data analytics of the NEET-UG 2024 candidates’ results. The Center notified the Supreme Court that there was no proof of widespread cheating or particular candidate groups receiving undue advantage from anomalous NEET-UG 2024 scores. An additional affidavit was provided to the Supreme Court by the NTA. For NEET-UG, they examined the distribution of marks at the federal, state, local, and center levels.
On May 5, 23,.33 lakh students took the NEET-UG 2024 exam at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 international countries. The entrance exam for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other relevant courses in government and private institutions across the country is called NEET-UG, and it is administered by the NTA.
Why did the SC postpone the matter?
According to a report on the legal news website LiveLaw, the Court granted the adjournment so that the petitioners may submit their answers to the affidavits that the Center and the National Testing Agency filed yesterday. “Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said he was having personal difficulties, even though the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had originally intended to list the proceedings on Monday, July 15. Mehta stated that Monday and Tuesday are his and the Attorney General’s unavailable days. The Court subsequently moved the cases to Thursday, July 18, because next Wednesday is a holiday, according to a LiveLaw report.