'No Evidence Of Systemic Breach': Supreme Court Refuses To Order NEET-UG Re-Examination In Paper Leak Allegation Case

Refusing to order a reexamination for NEET-UG, the apex court has noted that there was insufficient evidence to prove a systemic breach in the exam's conduct.

"The data on record is not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the exam," the court stated.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, concluded that canceling the NEET-UG medical entrance test would neither be justified nor necessary.

The decision came after hearing arguments over four days from various lawyers, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), and senior advocates Narender Hooda, Sanjay Hegde, and Mathews Nedumpara.

The court observed, "There is an absence of material to conclude that the result of the NEET-UG 2024 exam is vitiated or there is a systemic breach" as per a report by Hindustan Times.

However, it was acknowledged that question papers had been leaked in Hazaribagh and Patna.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), conducted by the NTA, is for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses in government and private institutions nationwide.

The Supreme Court was hearing multiple petitions demanding a retest after the agency discovered paper leaks in at least two cities in Bihar and Jharkhand.