The Supreme Court, in a high-stakes deliberation over the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for Under-Graduate (UG) 2024, is wrestling with the consequences of a confirmed question paper leak. As the scandal unfolds, the three-judge bench—Dr. DY Chandrachud, CJI, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra JJ.—is poised to make a decision that could impact the futures of 23 lakh students.
Central to the Court’s decision is determining the extent of the compromise. The judges have laid out criteria for deciding whether a retest is necessary:
- Was the breach systemic?
- Did it affect the integrity of the entire exam process?
- Can the beneficiaries of the fraud be distinguished from the honest students?
The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the exam, has been tasked with providing crucial details:
- The initial point of the leak.
- The dissemination method of the leaked papers.
- The time gap between the leak and the exam on May 5.
Additionally, the Court has directed the NTA to outline steps taken to identify those who benefited from the leak, pinpoint the affected centers, and detail the measures to segregate compromised candidates. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) must also submit a status report on its investigation into the malpractices.
Further complicating matters, the Court has inquired whether the Government’s cyber forensics unit could use data analytics to sift through the candidates and separate the tainted from the untainted.
The Supreme Court has mandated that all this information be submitted by 5 PM on July 10, 2024, with the matter scheduled for further consideration on July 11, 2024.
As the judiciary grapples with this academic debacle, the decision hangs in the balance, with the careers of millions at stake.
