NEET UG 2024 hearing: ‘No material to show leak was widespread,’ - 10 crucial remarks made by Supreme Court today

The Supreme Court on July 22 directed the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi to form a three-member expert committee to give their opinion regarding the correct answer to an multiple choice question of NEET-UG 2024, for which the National Testing Agency (NTA) awarded marks for two options.

The Court passed the direction after hearing some petitioners who challenged the NTA's decision to treat two options as the correct answers to the question. The Court has requested the expert opinion to be placed before it by 12 noon, legal news website LiveLaw said.

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The top court is hearing on a batch of pleas seeking cancellation, re-test and a court-monitored probe into the NEET UG 2024 exam held on May 5 this year. The hearing will continue on July 23. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing the matter.

Here is a list of significant comments by the Supreme Court bench during the hearing on July 22:

1-As indicated, as per the question as framed,students had to select one option as their answer. In order to resolve the issue as regards the correct answer, we are of the considered view that an expert opinion should be sought from IIT Delhi, the bench said. 

2- We request the Director of IIT Delhi to constitute a team of three experts of the subject concerned. The expert team constituted by the Director is requested to formulate the opinion on the correct option and remit the opinion to the Registrar by 12 noon tomorrow. Registrar General is requested to communicate the order to the IIT Delhi Director so that expeditious steps for the preparation of the opinion can be taken, said the court

3-During the hearing, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed that there was some force in the argument of the petitioner. "This is a powerful argument. The instructions are that go by the latest NCERT edition. Option 4 is the correct answer as per the latest NCERT edition. Then those who answered option 2 cannot be given full marks. There, I think they may have a point, "the CJI was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.

4-In many professional exams, students do choose some centres. Because there is a perception that the marking is lenient in those centres, the CJI said. “That may not be a ground to cancel the entire exam,” said CJI during the hearing. 

5- How do you establish that the paper leak spread all over the country? the CJI asked after advocate Narender Hooda, appearing for petitioners, informed the court that besides paper leak, the system is so fragile that it is consistently being compromised.

6-If the leak has taken place on the night of the 4th (May), then obviously the leak did not took place not at the process of transportation, and it took place prior, at the strong room vault,' Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said.

7- This indicates that students were being asked to memorise on the night of 4th (May) which means that the leak had happened prior to 4th, CJI said after reading Bihar Police report.

8- The CJI asks the remaining lawyers, who are arguing for a re-test, to send written submissions by email.

9-If there are loopholes, we will address that.. Basically you have concentrated on Hazaribagh, Patna...some lapses in Bahadurgarh.....where do you demonstrate a systemic failure? CJI asked advocate Narender Hooda appearing for petitioners.

10-We don't have any material so far to show the leak was so widespread and spread across the country.