A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a fresh NEET-UG 2024 examination, citing allegations of paper leakage and widespread malpractices in the test held on May 5. Petitioners Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Shaik Roshan Mohiddin, representing an organization dedicated to supporting students, have also called for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough and swift investigation into these allegations.
The petitioners emphasized the necessity for an SIT to ensure a rigorous investigation into the purported fraud and to secure the punishment of those found guilty. They also requested a mandamus from the court directing authorities to implement effective measures to prevent future malpractices, specifically addressing the issue of question paper leakage.
A significant point raised in the plea is the improbably high scores achieved by some students. The petitioners noted that 67 students received perfect scores of 720 out of 720, with eight of these students being from the same examination center. This anomaly, coupled with other instances of high scores such as 718 and 719, raised suspicions about the integrity of the exam process.
Furthermore, the petitioners highlighted that some students were allegedly given grace marks by the National Testing Agency (NTA) due to delays during the exam. They argued that this act was a mala fide exercise intended to provide certain students with an unfair advantage.
The plea also referenced issues with the provisional answer key released by the NTA on April 29. Over 13,000 students challenged the key, arguing that the answers provided did not align with the information in their textbooks. This discrepancy further fueled concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the examination.
The petitioners underscored the critical importance of integrity in medical education, arguing that cheating or using unfair means to pass exams could lead to a lack of competence in future medical professionals, thereby endangering patient safety. They stressed that the medical field requires a deep and thorough understanding of scientific and medical knowledge.
Additionally, the plea noted that several petitions on similar grounds have been filed in various High Courts. To avoid multiplicity of proceedings and wastage of court time, the petitioners requested the Supreme Court to settle the matter comprehensively. A similar petition is already scheduled for consideration in July.
Despite these serious allegations, the NTA has denied any irregularities in the examination process. The agency attributed the high scores to changes in the NCERT textbooks and the awarding of grace marks to compensate for lost time at examination centers. However, the petitioners remain unconvinced, seeking judicial intervention to restore confidence in the NEET examination system.
