Supreme Court declines to cancel NEET-UG 2024 exam

The Supreme Court on July 23 declined to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam amidst allegations of paper leaks and malpractices. The Court concluded there was insufficient evidence to suggest a widespread, systematic breach that compromised the integrity of the entire examination.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that reordering the examination would have severe repercussions for over 2.3 million students, disrupting the academic schedule and causing a ripple effect in subsequent years.

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Acknowledging the instances of paper leaks in examination centers located in Hazaribag and Patna, the Court stated the available data did not substantiate claims of a systemic leak that could invalidate the exam results. The judgment was delivered in response to multiple petitions seeking the cancellation of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions, which took place on May 5, 2024, with results announced on June 4.

The Court was informed that the examination's qualifying benchmark, set at the 50th percentile, translated to 164 out of a total of 720 marks. The NEET-UG exam consists of 180 questions, each worth four marks, with a penalty of one mark for incorrect answers. All candidates scoring at least 164 marks are deemed eligible for consideration for admission.