On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to halt the counseling process for admissions to medical colleges despite allegations of a paper leak and irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination [Shivangi Mishra v. National Testing Agency and Others].
A Vacation Bench consisting of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah issued a notice regarding a petition seeking the cancellation of the May examination and an investigation into the alleged paper leak.
The Court scheduled the matter for consideration on July 8 and requested a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA).
“We will not stop the counselling. If you argue further, we will dismiss this,” the Court remarked.
The Court was addressing a series of petitions calling for the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 due to the alleged paper leak and other irregularities.
Similar petitions are also pending in various High Courts, including the Delhi and Calcutta High Courts.
One petition before the Supreme Court highlighted allegations of a paper leak in Patna and the distribution of incorrect question papers to candidates in Rajasthan.
Media reports indicated that an unusually high number of candidates achieved perfect scores in the results published on June 4.
Candidates have also alleged irregularities in the awarding of compensatory marks due to time loss during the examination.
On May 17, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra had declined to stay the publication of the NEET-UG 2024 results but had issued a notice on the plea.
