The Supreme Court of India declined an urgent hearing for a public interest litigation (PIL) requesting a computer-based test (CBT) for the re-examination of NEET-UG scheduled on June 21. The original NEET-UG examination, conducted nationwide on May 3, was canceled amid allegations of a paper leak.
A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Aravind Kumar informed the petitioner, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, that similar requests had been dismissed in the past. The court has scheduled a hearing for the matter in July, effectively rejecting the plea for a CBT format for the re-examination.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that implementing CBT would reduce the likelihood of future leaks. However, the bench noted that the authorities were already facing significant challenges in organizing the re-examination within a limited timeframe.
The petition was grouped with others seeking reforms in the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) operations and methodologies due to the question paper leaks. Prior to the summer break, the bench led by Justice Narasimha expressed concern about the cancellation of NEET-UG, asking the Union government and NTA to provide details on measures taken to prevent similar incidents, which have caused distress for many students.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the question paper leak. The NTA has informed the court that the NEET-UG will transition to a CBT format in the next examination cycle. The agency assured the Supreme Court that the re-examination would be conducted with enhanced surveillance and greater inter-agency coordination.
The bench emphasized that accountability must be established for individuals responsible for the NEET-UG paper leak, stressing that without such accountability, preventing future incidents would be challenging.
