'We Expect Timely Action': Supreme Court To Exam Body NTA On NEET Controversy

Amid allegations surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the Supreme Court has said that it expects timely action from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the medical entrance exams.

The SC vacation bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice SVN Bhatti, made the remark on Tuesday while hearing a petition seeking cancellation of the NEET exam held in May this year.

The bench tagged the present petition with the other similar matters which are listed on 8 July.

"We expect timely action from you (NTA). Let us hear the petitions on July 8," stated the bench, Bar and Bench reported.

Addressing Advocate Kanu Agarwal and Vardhaman Kaushik, representing the Union Government and the NTA respectively, Justice Bhatti orally said, "Even if there is 0.001 per cent negligence on the part of anyone it should be thoroughly dealt with. All these matters ought not to be treated as adversarial litigation", Livelaw reported.

Last week, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that it would revoke the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates in the NEET-UG exam.

These candidates have the option to retake the exam on 23 June, with the re-test results set to be announced before 30 June.

For candidates who choose not to retake the exam, their previous scores, minus the additional marks, will be reinstated.

The controversy arose after the results of the NEET exam, taken by 24 lakh students on 5 May, were declared on 4 June.

Allegations of a paper leak quickly followed, particularly when it was revealed that 67 students had achieved a perfect score of 720/720.

The NTA had granted grace marks to certain students purportedly to compensate for the loss of time at the exam centres, further fuelling the controversy.

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