From stressing accountability to students' trauma: What Supreme Court said on NEET paper leak fiasco
The real problem won’t stop till actual accountability arises, the Supreme Cour told the Centre in sharp words over the NEET paper leak as it directed the government to file an affidavit in the matter on the next hearing in the second week of July.
The Supreme Court on Friday underlined the need for accountability in the NEET paper leak controversy, observing that such incidents are deeply traumatic not only for students but also for their families. A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said the country “should not disappoint its youngsters” while hearing petitions related to the issue.
The court was hearing multiple pleas, including one seeking restructuring or replacement of the National Testing Agency (NTA) with an autonomous and robust body to conduct medical entrance examinations.
Supreme Court's key observations on NEET paper leak
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the Centre was seriously concerned about the issue and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally monitoring the matter to ensure there were no lapses. He also said new mechanisms had been introduced for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.
"The real problem won’t stop till actual accountability arises,” the bench observed, adding that students and families invest immense emotional energy in such examinations.
Calling the situation "very traumatic", the Supreme Court observed that students and their families invest years of hard work, emotions and dedication into examinations, and said such incidents cannot be allowed to undermine their efforts.
"We cannot disappoint our students. It is not merely the student, it’s the family too… It involves so much emotion, love, time and years of study," the bench remarked.
The court also directed the government to explain the mechanism that would ensure institutional continuity and participation of experts, including details about the composition of domain experts involved in the process.
The Supreme Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July.
NEET paper leak issue
The NTA had cancelled the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3, following allegations of a paper leak. A re-examination is now scheduled for June 21, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continues to probe the allegations.
The issue comes in the backdrop of the 2024 NEET-UG controversy, when the Supreme Court had refused to cancel the examination despite allegations of question paper leaks, but had issued several directions aimed at preventing such incidents in future public examinations.