NEET-UG Case: NTA's Response in SC Doesn't Add Up. Some Unanswered Questions
The top court is hearing a batch of petitions over allegations of malpractice, including paper leak, in NEET-UG exam.
By: AAKRITI HANDA
This article is part of ‘Paper Heist’, The Quint's special project highlighting the human cost of India’s paper leaks mess. Become a member HERE and help us uncover different aspects of this scandal.
Even though the National Testing Agency (NTA) submitted its response in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, 10 July over re-conducting the NEET-UG exam due to alleged malpractices, their affidavit has still failed to address some key issues.
In the last hearing, on 8 July, the top court had asked the NTA and the Union government to make a “full disclosure” on the nature of the paper leak, the way the paper was disseminated on social media, whether the breach was at a systemic level and if those candidates who got benefitted from unfair means can be identified and segregated.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud reportedly observed, “One thing which is very clear is that the leak has taken place. That the sanctity of the exam has been breached is beyond doubt. The question is how widespread is the leak.”
Since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now probing allegations of paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024 exam, the top court also asked the central body to submit a status report.
Even as the next hearing has been posted for next Thursday, The Quint takes a closer look at the NTA’s response, and the lack thereof, to the allegations raised by the petitioners over irregularities and malpractices in the NEET medical entrance exam.
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Cancelled exams, systemic failures, malpractices and collusion at multiple levels — there are several aspects to India's paper leaks mess. Then there is the human cost of the leaks — young aspirants and their families for whom a lost year can be a matter of life and death.
The Quint has been reporting on the leaks extensively and we want to stay with this story. Through our special series 'Paper Heist', we will try to answer questions like: How do these leaks exactly take place? Who are the masterminds and players behind this scandal? What are their political connections? What does all this mean for an average exam aspirant?
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