Supreme Court's ruling on NEET-UG 2024: No systemic breach of sanctity, but NTA should avoid 'flip-flops'
The Supreme Court has instructed the expert committee to address the shortcomings in the examination system.
Arpit Pattnaik
The Supreme Court on Friday, August 2, stated that the National Testing Agency (NTA) should avoid the "flip-flops" it made in relation to the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The court emphasized that such inconsistencies in a national exam do not serve the interests of the students. The Supreme Court's verdict, despite the controversy over paper allegations and irregularities, ruled against cancelling the 2024 NEET-UG medical entrance examination.
A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, also highlighted the need for the expert committee to address the deficiencies in the exam system. The Supreme Court stressed that it has delineated all the shortcomings in the structural processes of the NTA in its judgment, citing the necessity to improve conditions for the betterment of the students.
The court also urged the government to rectify the issues promptly to prevent recurrence. While affirming that there was no systemic breach of the NEET-UG 2024 papers, the Supreme Court noted that the leak was limited to Patna and Hazaribagh.
In addition, the judgment underscored the importance of the committee, appointed by the Centre, to develop standard operating procedures for identifying potential weaknesses in the cyber security of the examination system. This includes processes for enhanced identity checks, as well as CCTV camera monitoring of exam centers.
