NEET UG 2024: SC refuses to stay counseling, retest, halts proceedings in HCs

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the counselling of students who have cleared the controversy-hit NEET-UG 2024 exam for admissions to medical colleges.

“If the examination goes, the counselling will also go, ”said a vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and S.V.N. Bhatti.

The top court refused to stop the retest—rescheduled for 23 June—for 1,563 candidates, who were awarded grace marks.  

The top court also halted proceedings related to the paper-leak allegations in Rajasthan, Calcutta and Bombay high courts on an NTA plea seeking the transfer of these cases to the apex court.

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The Supreme Court will now hold a comprehensive hearing on 8 July.

Various discrepancies in this year's NEET exam were highlighted during the hearing. One lawyer highlighted the unprecedented number of 67 students scoring full marks of 720, prompting calls for scrutiny of their academic backgrounds. Other lawyers raised the issue of students losing significant exam time at a Meghalaya testing centre and allegations of incorrect multiple-choice questions (MCQs).

A plea filed by Unacademy emphasized the necessity of an independent committee to address these concerns, noting that the current committees within the NTA lack independence due to the chairman's dual role.

Following the release of the NEET 2024 results on 4 June, controversies emerged, including allegations of question paper leaks and discrepancies by students, coaching centers, and social groups. The results led to serious accusations and public outcry, especially with the grant of grace marks to over 1,500 medical aspirants, exacerbating the situation and leading to cases being filed in seven high courts.

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On 13 June, the government informed the Supreme Court of its decision to revoke grace marks awared to 1,536 students, informing them of their revised scores and offering the option to reappear in the exam on 23 June.

Subsequently, on 14 June, the top court issued notices to the Centre and the NTA in response to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged paper leak.

Nearly 2.4 million students wrote the exam to gain admission to undergraduate medical programmes.