Was NEET-UG 2024 question paper leaked via WhatsApp? SC resumes crucial hearing
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The Supreme Court on Monday (July 22, 2024) commenced hearing on a series of petitions concerning the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024, following allegations of a question paper leak.
The leak, reportedly disseminated through WhatsApp, has raised serious questions about the integrity of the prestigious medical entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
During the hearing, a counsel representing NEET-UG aspirants informed the top court that the NTA had acknowledged the paper leak. The bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, sought clarity on the implications of the centre-wise and city-wise results declared by the NTA.
An analysis of the results, released by the NTA on Saturday, indicated that candidates purportedly benefiting from the leaked paper and other irregularities did not perform exceptionally well. However, the data revealed a high concentration of top-performing students in specific centres.
This voluminous data, covering over 23 lakh candidates from 4,750 centres, was released not in a cumulative format but rather through a drop-down menu for each centre.
The data release followed the Supreme Court’s directive, issued amid ongoing hearings of multiple petitions regarding the alleged irregularities. With lakhs of aspirants eagerly awaiting a final verdict on the exam’s fate, the court has been scrutinising the results to determine if candidates at allegedly compromised centres scored disproportionately higher than others.
The performance of candidates from centres under suspicion, such as Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand; Hardayal Public School in Jhajjar, Haryana; and Jay Jalaram International School in Godhra, Gujarat, was comparatively below average. This analysis has been central to the court’s inquiry.
On July 18, the Supreme Court directed the NTA to publish the centre and city-wise results by noon on July 20, with the identities of the aspirants masked. This order was part of the court’s effort to verify claims that candidates at tainted centres had scored significantly higher marks.
As the hearing continues, the Supreme Court’s final decision will be crucial for the future of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and its aspirants. The outcome will also have significant implications for the credibility and security of the examination process in India.
