The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an urgent hearing to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a computer-based test (CBT) for the June 21 re-examination of NEET-UG, which was originally held nationwide on May 3 but was scrapped following allegations of a paper leak.
Bench's Decision and Reasoning
A partial-working day bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Aravind Kumar informed the petitioner, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, that similar pleas had been dismissed by the Supreme Court in the past. The bench posted the matter for hearing in July, effectively negating the urgent request for a computer-based NEET-UG re-examination.
When the petitioner's counsel argued that CBT would minimize the chances of a question paper leak, the bench responded that the authorities were already facing challenges in conducting the re-examination within a short timeframe. The plea was tagged with a bunch of petitions filed following the question paper leaks, seeking reforms in the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the mode and means of conducting examinations.
Background and Previous Concerns
Before the summer break, a Justice Narasimha-led bench had expressed concern over the cancellation of NEET-UG and had asked the Union government and NTA to provide details of steps taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents, which traumatize lakhs of students. While the investigation into the question paper leak was entrusted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the NTA in its affidavit had informed the court that NEET-UG would be conducted in CBT mode from the next examination cycle.
The NTA stated, "The transition will be implemented from the next examination cycle in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (the client ministry for NEET-UG), thereby bringing all major NTA examinations onto the CBT platform." It also assured the Supreme Court that the re-examination would be conducted with enhanced surveillance and inter-agency coordination.
Accountability Concerns
The bench had earlier remarked that unless accountability was individually fastened on those responsible for the paper leak of NEET-UG or similar exams, it would be difficult to prevent such incidents in the future.
