NEW DELHI : A group of 20 students, who had taken the NEET-UG 2024 exam, has filed a plea in Supreme Court seeking a direction to scrap the exam and a court-monitored probe by the CBI or any other independent agency into the alleged irregularities in the test held on May 5.
The plea has also sought a direction from the top court to the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others to conduct the test afresh.
“The sanctity of the examination is questionable in view of the confirmed cases of leakage of question paper. FIRs have been lodged in this regard and several persons have been arrested, as per media reports,” said the plea, drawn by advocate Dheeraj Singh.
According to sources, the plea is likely to come up for hearing in two-to-three days, as the issue is serious and involves the students’ future.
The plea sought a direction for a court-appointed committee, or any independent agency to conduct post-exam analysis including academic background check, forensic analysis, and investigation of all candidates who have scored 620 and above, under the supervision of the top court.
“Issue rule, order or direction by scrapping the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 5, 2024 and to further direct the respondents to conduct the same afresh,” the plea said.
The petitioners also sought direction to the respondents (Union of India, NTA and others) to take effective steps to ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process and to address the concerns pertaining to fraudulent practices, question paper leaks, impersonation, unfair means, et cetera, in NEET-UG in future.
In view of the “rampant irregularities and fraudulent practices”, retest would only help in short-listing deserving students to get admission in medical institutions, it added.
Protests against NEET-UG results in many states
Hundreds of candidates who appeared in the NEET-UG test took to the streets in Bihar on Saturday, demanding re-examination in view of the allegations of paper leak. They blocked the road and burnt effigies of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and raised slogans against the Centre at the Dinkar Chowk in Patna.
Student groups protested in other states as well. Members of National Students’ Union of India took out a torch rally in New Delhi, while Tripura Pradesh Youth Congress workers took out a march and raised slogans in Tripura capital Agartala. Meanwhile, police used water cannons to disperse KSU activists during a protest march in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.