The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Test Agency to publish the marks obtained by students in the NEET UG exams to allow some transparency on centre-wise marks obtained by candidates. The results are to be published by Saturday noon so that the hearing on the matter can be concluded on Monday, the apex court said.
"The result should be declared in relation to each centre separately. Let it be released by Friday 5 PM ... Let it be done, we have to see the end of the matter (hearing of the case) on Monday," the bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud said.
The deadline for publishing the results was later extended to Saturday noon at the request of NTA counsel.
"The fact that there was a leak at least in Patna and Hazaribag is (made out).. The question papers have been disseminated before the exam, that is undoubted. The question is whether this is only confined to these centres - in which case there is no question of a retest - or whether this is more widespread," the court said.
The top court also directed the agency to protect the identity of the students while publishing the results.
"The students are at a handicap because they don't know the results. We want the student's identity to be masked but let us see centre-wise what was the mark pattern," it said.
While refusing to hear a plea by Narinder Hooda, lawyer for one of the petitioners, requesting to stay the counselling of the exam, the top court said, "We will hear it on July 22, as the counselling is starting from July 24 and might go on for more than a month or more."