Supreme Court on NEET-UG 2024: 'If paper leak took place through social media, re-test has to be ordered'

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday lambasted the Centre as well as the National Testing Agency (NTA) after it came to the fore that NEET-UG 2024 question papers were leaked on social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp. The top court also said that if the sanctity of the exam is affected as the petitioners are saying, then a retest has to happen. 

"You know why we are asking this if we come to the conclusion that the time lag between leak and the exam was not wide then it militate against the re examination and if the time gap is wide then it shows the leak was widespread. if the sanctity is affected then retest has to happen and if the grain cannot be separated from the shaft then also re test has to be ordered," the CJI was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench. 

"But it has to noted that re exam was 24 lakh students is difficult.. IF WE SEE THAT THE LEAK WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THEN IT IS EXTREMELY WIDESPREAD.. if it is through telegram whatsapp then it spread like wildfire.. and we also have to see the balance with the time of leak like if it was May 5 morning before students went for exam," the CJI added. 

Senior advocate Hooda, representing the students, detailed the alleged scam, noting that the exam papers were leaked on a Telegram channel a day before the exam. He highlighted discrepancies such as the use of a backup question paper from a different bank and matching leaked questions with the actual exam.

Hooda also pointed out that 67 students scored 720 out of 720 for the first time in NEET history. He mentioned multiple FIRs were filed, and the CBI is investigating the case across several states.

CJI Chandrachud asked if the paper leak was confirmed, to which Solicitor General Tushar Mehta replied that extra time was given at some centers where students received the wrong paper. He added that the results of students involved have been withheld.

The petitioners, who are seeking a retest, informed the Supreme Court said that the Bihar police confirmed a paper leak. They found that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for transferring the question paper to the exam center were not fully followed. The Bihar police discovered that the gang involved in the leak received the paper on their phone.

CJI Chandrachud stated this indicated a widespread issue affecting the entire exam.

The court was hearing 38 pleas regarding malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 exam, including requests for a retest. The Union Education Ministry and the National Testing Agency (NTA) opposed these pleas, filing affidavits against the exam's cancellation. In anticipation of the Supreme Court hearing, security was increased outside the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The CJI then asked whether the question paper was prepared by one entity or someone different. To this, the NTA said that the question paper is at the headquarters and the same group of experts prepare it every year.