A three-judge bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reviewed the NEET UG paper leak and exam cancellation pleas, and postponed the decision to July 23. They acknowledged that the leak happened on or before May 4.
The bench instructed the IIT Delhi director to form a three-member committee to evaluate a question from the NEET UG 2024 exam.
The NTA confessed to distributing incorrect question papers at some centers and noted that grace marks were awarded only to students whose Canara Bank papers were replaced with SBI papers during the exam.
Additionally, the NTA filed an affidavit denying any conflict of interest allegations against the IIT Madras director, who was responsible for the data analytics report.
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NEET Hearing to Resume Tomorrow
The Supreme Court will continue hearing the NEET UG 2024 case tomorrow. The NTA and the Centre are set to present their submissions, addressing ongoing concerns. The Court will review these submissions during its deliberations on the examination issues.
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CJI Requests IIT Delhi's Expert Review
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud suggested that IIT Delhi form an expert team to determine the correct answer to a disputed NEET UG 2024 question. He requested their findings by tomorrow evening. The Solicitor General agreed to respond by 10:30 AM the next day.
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Maharashtra Petitioners Oppose NEET Re-Test
Advocate Tanvi Dubey, representing Maharashtra petitioners, opposed a re-test, citing hardships for students who have prepared for nearly eight years. Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed re-test requesters to email the court master by this evening, limited to half a page, excluding those who have already argued in court.
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Retest Request for Medical Condition Rejected
Senior Advocate Mukta Gupta requested a re-test for herself and 1,563 candidates due to her medical condition. Chief Justice Chandrachud announced that arguments from the petitioners' side would now be concluded.
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CJI Requests Re-Test Requests by Evening
Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed that all re-test requests be emailed to the court master by this evening, limited to half a page, excluding those who have already presented arguments in court.
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CJI Questions Marks for Incorrect Option
CJI Chandrachud noted that the latest NCERT edition lists Option 4 as correct, expressing concern over awarding full marks for Option 2. He suggested there might be merit in revisiting this issue.
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Counsel Demands Deletion of Ambiguous Question
A counsel argued that a NEET question with ambiguous options led a petitioner to skip it, despite NTA awarding full marks for either option. Citing a past judgment, the counsel demanded the question be deleted to reflect true merit.
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Counsel Objects to NEET Registration Extension
A counsel objected to NTA's 24-hour registration window for 24,000 additional students, arguing that candidates missing the initial deadline should not receive extra opportunities.
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In Tanvi Sarwal Case NEET Re-Test was Ordered
Referencing the "Tanvi Sarwal" case, a counsel noted the Court ordered a re-test for AIPMT students after 44 were caught using unfair means, suggesting a similar approach for NEET to ensure fairness.
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Counsel Cites 2015 "Tanvi Sarwal" Judgment
A counsel cited the 2015 "Tanvi Sarwal" judgment, where the Court canceled the All India Pre-Medical Test due to widespread cheating, suggesting a precedent for similar action in the current NEET case.
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Hegde Criticizes NEET Leak Response
Senior Advocate Hegde criticized the handling of the NEET paper leak, calling the leaked paper a "time-limited commodity" that would be exploited for profit. He argued that the exam was unfair due to the involvement of an organized gang known for paper leaks. Hegde noted that the NTA only began responding to inquiries and providing data after the Court's intervention, and significant actions, including CBI involvement, were only initiated on June 22.
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NEET Leak Extent Unclear, says Sr Adv Hegde
Senior Advocate Hegde pointed out uncertainties regarding the NEET paper leak, confirming it started in Hazaribagh and was intercepted in Patna. Investigation reports indicate the leak affected about 100 people. Hegde mentioned the leak likely occurred on the night of May 4 or earlier, not on the morning of May 5.
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Hooda Suggests Re-Exam for NEET Candidates
Advocate Narender Hooda suggested that if the Supreme Court does not mandate a complete re-examination for NEET, at least the 13 lakh qualified candidates should retake the exam. Hooda stressed the need to ensure fairness and integrity in the exam process.
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NEET Paper Leak Happened Before May 4, says CJI
The Supreme Court is addressing cases of alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. Senior Advocate Narender Hooda, representing petitioners, stated that Bihar police reports indicate the leak occurred on May 4, before the question papers were deposited with banks. CJI DY Chandrachud noted that statements from the accused suggest students were assembled to memorize questions on the evening of May 4, indicating the leak happened before that date.
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CJI Questions NEET Admission Cut-Offs
CJI Chandrachud inquired about medical college admission cut-offs. Solicitor General Mehta explained that while 50% of seats are considered, reservations for SC, ST, and EWS reduce merit seats to 25,000. Discussing district-wise exam centers, Mehta noted a declining success rate in Sikar from 2022 to 2024. Advocate Hooda criticized the systemic failures of NEET.
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Hooda Questions Sikar's NEET Results
Senior Advocate Narendra Hooda questioned the unusually high NEET scores from Sikar, revealing that 38 out of 50 centers with students scoring over 650 marks are in Sikar. He also highlighted unusual travel patterns of NEET aspirants, including a student from Godhra who scored 705 marks despite poor class 12 exam performance.
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CJI Asks NTA to Make Note of Key Points
Chief Justice Chandrachud posed several critical questions to the NTA regarding the wrong paper distribution at some centers:
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How many centers received incorrect (Canara Bank) papers?
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How many of these centers had the correct booklets replaced?
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At how many centers were questions evaluated using Canara Bank booklets?
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How did candidates fare with the Canara Bank papers, given the answer key was not disclosed?
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How many students were evaluated on the Canara Bank paper?
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Why was the Canara Bank paper's answer key not declared?
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Who authorizes city coordinators for paper collection?
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Why did Jhajjar coordinators collect papers from both SBI and Canara Bank?
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Was Canara Bank properly informed about paper distribution?
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Why were Canara Bank papers retrieved from only two centers in Jhajjar and not the third?
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Grace Marks for Paper Errors
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta confirmed that NEET students initially given incorrect papers, which were later withdrawn and replaced, received grace marks due to the reduced exam time. Chief Justice Chandrachud clarified that only students who had their booklets switched midway were awarded these marks, a point Mehta confirmed.
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Incorrect Papers Distributed to Over 3,000 Students, Alleges Senior Advocate Hooda
In the ongoing NEET paper leak case, senior advocate Narendra Hooda revealed a video showing the principal of Hardyal School, Jhajjar, confirming the distribution of Canara Bank papers without delay. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud clarified, "So it was not like midway SBI papers were given?" Hooda confirmed, "No."
Further inquiry by the CJI revealed that the city in-charge decides which bank's papers to collect. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated, "The city in-charge is informed which bank to take it from." CJI Chandrachud questioned the process, highlighting that over 3,000 students in Jhajjar received incorrect Canara Bank papers. This issue affected eight centers across India, raising serious concerns about the distribution and integrity of the examination.
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NEET Paper Leak May Have Occurred Well Before Exam Date, Says CJI Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has expressed significant concerns regarding the NEET paper leak, suggesting that it may have occurred well before the transportation of the question papers to the banks. The government previously asserted that the leak happened on the morning of May 5 and was restricted to small areas in Bihar and Jharkhand.
However, the CJI highlighted that if the leak took place on the night of May 4, it must have happened before the papers were secured in the banks.
CJI Chandrachud remarked, “If the NEET paper leak has taken place on the night of May 4, it has not taken place in the vault of SBI or Canara Bank. The leak must have happened much prior to the transportation of the question papers to the banks.” He also noted that professors are not used as problem solvers, while students frequently are.
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Solicitor General on Amit Anand
The Solicitor General identified Amit Anand as a middleman who gathered students on the night of May 4, anticipating receiving the papers on May 5. He further stated that Nitish Kumar was present at the location where the papers were received on May 5, according to Live Law.
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Mr. Hooda on Statements Indicating Paper Leaks
Mr. Hooda mentioned that there are 161 statements indicating that the leak occurred well before the examination.
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Mr. Hooda on Paper Leak Timing
Mr. Hooda asserted that the leak happened before the question papers were deposited with the respective banks, suggesting a date of May 3 or earlier.
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CJI on Question Papers Being Ferried in an E-Rickshaw
CJI Chandrachud clarified that the question papers were not being transported in an e-rickshaw. However, he acknowledged that there is a photograph of an OMR sheet being ferried in such a vehicle, which has been established.
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Mr. Hooda on NEET UG Results
Mr. Hooda criticized the NTA for publishing results without providing an All India Rank or a sanitarium of exam centres. Instead, the results were given centre-wise and city-wise, withholding the All India Rank and serial number of the exam centres.
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CBI Arrests 'Mastermind'
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the alleged mastermind, a B.Tech graduate, along with two MBBS students who acted as 'solvers' in the NEET UG 2024 paper leak case. This arrest followed the apprehension of Surabhi Kumari, a first-year MBBS student at Ranchi's Rajendra Institute of Medical Science.
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Over 11,000 Candidates Scored Zero or Negative Marks
According to the centre-wise results announced by the NTA, more than 11,000 candidates scored zero or negative marks in the NEET UG 2024 examination. The lowest score recorded was -180 at a centre in Bihar, as reported by PTI.
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City-Wise Result Details
The report revealed that out of the total candidates, slightly over 81,000 scored 600 and above. In comparison, in 2023, 29,351 candidates achieved this score.
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CJI Queries NTA on Student Numbers
In the last hearing, CJI Chandrachud inquired about the number of students who appeared for NEET UG over the past three years. The NTA provided the following data:
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17,64,570 candidates appeared in 2022.
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20,38,526 candidates appeared in 2023.
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23,33,297 candidates appeared in 2024.
The CJI noted a 33% increase in the number of candidates from 2022 to 2024.
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Revised Results Details
The revised NEET UG 2024 results indicated that no candidate scored above 682 marks from a centre in Haryana, which was under scrutiny after six candidates from that centre scored a perfect 720 out of 720, as reported by PTI.
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Results Declared Centre-Wise and City-Wise
The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the NEET UG 2024 results on July 20. Following the Supreme Court's order, the results were published centre-wise and city-wise. The NEET UG result link was activated on the official website at exams.nta.ac.in.
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Fresh Exam Only if Entire Exam Integrity is Compromised
The Supreme Court has declared that a new NEET UG 2024 exam would only be ordered if it is proven that the integrity of the entire examination was compromised.
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CJI on Impossibility of Solving 180 Questions in 45 Minutes
During the July 18 hearing, CJI Chandrachud questioned the feasibility of solving 180 questions and preparing answers within 45 minutes, countering the Solicitor General's argument.
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CJI on Two Leak Possibilities
CJI Chandrachud outlined two possibilities regarding the NEET paper leak during the last hearing: the leak could have occurred either before the papers were in bank custody or after they left the banks for the exam centres.
Key Takeaways from the Last Hearing
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On July 18, the Apex Court directed the NTA to publish centre and city-wise results of NEET UG 2024 without revealing the identity of the students.
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Senior advocate Narendra Hooda pointed out a fivefold increase in the number of candidates scoring between 550 and 720.
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The NTA counsel argued that the Telegram video alleging a NEET UG paper leak was fake. The Solicitor General supported this argument, noting that Telegram channels have features reflecting changes, and it was known that the video was circulated after the examination.
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The NTA complied and published the results on Saturday. The court limited its scrutiny to two specific instances of paper leaks in Patna and Hazaribagh. The decision on whether to scrap the examination and order a retest would depend on whether the breaches were localized or systemic.
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The Solicitor General explained that a gang member in Hazaribagh sent the paper via WhatsApp, emphasizing the gang's strategy to prevent widespread leaks by prohibiting students from taking photographs. Parents provided post-dated cheques, and the gang's methods prevented the exam from being cancelled.
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The CJI dismissed the hypothesis that the entire paper was solved in 45 minutes and distributed to students as implausible.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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