New Delhi: The Supreme Court(SC) on Friday again declined to stay the process of NEET-UG 2024 counselling and issued notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA). The apex court tagged the fresh pleas
New Delhi: The Supreme Court(SC) on Friday again declined to stay the process of NEET-UG 2024 counselling and issued notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA). The apex court tagged the fresh pleas along with pending petitions and posted them for hearing on July 8, 2024. The decision was made by a vacation bench of the court during a hearing on petitions seeking an investigation, cancellation, and retest of the NEET-UG exam following allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities.
Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on a slew of petitions, including those seeking scrapping of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored probe, amid mounting outrage over alleged irregularities in conducting the all-India medical entrance test.
The apex court also stayed further proceedings on similar pleas pending before different high courts. The top court, however, made it clear that it will not stay the counselling process. The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates took it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.
The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA’s history, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank. The allegations have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political parties.
(This is a developing story. More details are awaited)