Emphasising that cancelling the 2024 exam entirely would have serious ramifications for the futures of countless honest candidates who took part in the examination, the Centre argued that such a drastic measure would not be deemed rational

In a recent development regarding the NEET-UG controversy, the Centre has pressed its stance to the Supreme Court, stating that there are no intentions to annul the examination and organise a retest.

Highlighting that no significant irregularities were reported in the exam, which saw the participation of 24 lakh students, the government submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court in anticipation of upcoming hearings on the matter.

Emphasising that cancelling the 2024 exam entirely would have serious ramifications for the futures of countless honest candidates who took part in the examination, the Centre argued that without substantial evidence of widespread breaches of confidentiality, such a drastic measure would not be deemed rational.

Acknowledging the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of question papers in any examination, the government assured its commitment to ensuring fair and transparent conduct of all exams. The Centre expressed its willingness to address any criminal activities affecting exam integrity and highlighted the necessity of stringent legal actions against any individuals responsible for breaching confidentiality.

Amid mounting protests and concerns over irregularities not only in NEET-UG but also in UGC-NET, which led to the abrupt cancellation of the examination, the NEET-PG and CSIR UGC NET exams faced postponement.

In the latest update on Friday, the NEET-PG examination will now be conducted on August 11 in two shifts. 

Scrapping the exam entirely would “seriously jeopardise” the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted NEET-UG 2024 questions, the Union Ministry of Education said in its affidavit.

“It is also submitted that at the same time, in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared,” the Centre said.

Despite student protests and allegations of paper leaks, the government emphasizes fairness for honest candidates. With the Supreme Court's decision pending, this news explores the implications and responses from various stakeholders. How can the government even think of such a decision when the Supreme Court recently commented that even a 0.001% chance of misconduct or paper leak should be taken seriously?

There are clear-cut evidences and numerous arrests proving that the paper leak occurred. In today's technology-driven world, if something leaks on social media, it spreads within seconds or minutes, not remaining localized. The Supreme Court stressed that even the slightest negligence must be thoroughly dealt with.

Given the accumulated evidence and arrests, the government's claim that the issue is localized and not large-scale is absurd. Does the government expect the paper to reach all 25 lakh students before considering a cancellation? This stance is not only funny but also ridiculous. What does the government really want?

The Union government also informed the court that it has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct comprehensive probe into entire gamut of alleged irregularities.

On June 11, the Supreme Court, while hearing a plea to hold the exam afresh, noted concerns about the sanctity of NEET-UG and demanded responses from the Centre and the NTA.

However, the court refused to stay the counselling of the successful candidates. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions on July 8, which seek various forms of relief, including a re-test and a thorough investigation into the alleged malpractices.

On Thursday, over 50 successful Gujarat-based NEET-UG candidates moved the top court seeking a direction to restrain the Centre and the NTA from cancelling the controversy-ridden exam. The fresh plea of Sidhharth Komal Singla and 55 other students was filed through lawyer Devendra Singh.

It said, “The Hon’ble court may further direct the respondents (Centre and the NTA) not to re-conduct NEET-UG ... as that would not only be unreasonable and harsh for the honest and hardworking students but also would lead to the infringement of the Right to Education and therefore violative of Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.

With the government postponing the NEET-PG examination and cancelling the UGC-NET, competitive exams in India have come under scrutiny over alleged irregularities.