Supreme Court Defers Decision on CBI Probe into NEET-UG 2024 Allegations to July 8

While the Supreme Court has yet to decide on the CBI probe, it has issued a notice regarding the NTA's plea to transfer all NEET-related petitions from various High Courts to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court of India has deferred its decision on a CBI investigation into the alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam until July. The decision came during a hearing of various petitions filed by NEET-UG candidates and the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The petitioners have accused widespread paper leaks and manipulations at exam centers, with specific allegations about students from Odisha, Karnataka, and Jharkhand choosing a center in Godhra, Gujarat, under suspicious circumstances. These concerns have prompted calls for a comprehensive CBI investigation.

While the Supreme Court has yet to decide on the CBI probe, it has issued a notice regarding the NTA's plea to transfer all NEET-related petitions from various High Courts to the Supreme Court. This move aims to streamline the judicial process and address all grievances in a consolidated manner.

In a related development on June 13, the Supreme Court refused to halt the ongoing NEET-UG 2024 counseling process, despite petitions challenging the exam's results. The court stressed the importance of proceeding with counseling and admissions without delay, questioning, “Why should we delay counseling and admission?”

The NTA informed the court that the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates, who were initially awarded grace marks due to reduced exam time, have been canceled. These candidates are offered a chance to retake the exam on June 23, with results to be announced by June 30. The NTA, represented by Kanu Agarwal, assured that the re-test notification would be issued promptly to ensure the counseling schedule in July remains unaffected.

The Supreme Court acknowledged the Union's stance on the grace marks issue and scheduled a further hearing for July 8, 2024, to address the allegations of unfair means and procedural lapses in the NEET-UG 2024 exam.