NEET 2024 SC Hearing Highlights: IIT Delhi to give Physics correct answer; re-test request submission by today

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court heard a number of pleas seeking cancellation, a re-test, and a court-monitored probe into the National Eligibility Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2024 exam held on May 5. The case was heard by a bench comprising chief justice of India DY Chandrachud, justice JB Pardiwala, and justice Manoj Mishra. The NEET 2024 SC hearing will resume tomorrow and is expected to give its final verdict. NEET 2024 SC hearing Live

In the July 18 NEET SC hearing, the Supreme Court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish the NEET UG 2024 centre and city-wise on its website. The Court has stated that fresh NEET UG 2024 examination would only be conducted if it is proven that the integrity of the entire test was compromised. During the same hearing, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) challenged the Solicitor General’s argument by questioning the practicality of solving 180 questions and preparing answers within a 45-minute timeframe.

NEET 2024 SC Hearing: IIT Delhi to review Physics answer

Some petitioners objected to the NTA’s decision to award grace marks for question number 19 in the Physics section, which resulted in 44 students receiving top ranks. The question comprised two statements:

• “Atoms are electrically neutral as they contain equal numbers of positive and negative charges.”
• “Atoms of each element are stable and emit their characteristic spectrum.”

Candidates were required to select the “most appropriate answer” from four options: (1) First is correct but second is incorrect; (2) First is incorrect but second is correct; (3) Both statements are correct; (4) Both statements are incorrect.

The Supreme Court instructed the director of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) to form a three-member expert committee and provide their opinion on the correct answer to physics question number 19 of NEET UG 2024 exam.

NTA admits about wrong question paper at 8 centres

The Solicitor General representing the NTA admitted that incorrect question paper booklets were distributed at eight centres nationwide. He further stated that the difficulty level of the exam remained consistent, so the NTA decided to allow students to continue using the wrong booklets. The number of candidates who received the incorrect Canara Bank paper is slightly over 3,000, according to the NTA Counsel.

NEET 2024 paper leak happened before May 4

Advocate Hooda claimed that the NEET paper leak, occurred on May 3 or earlier, and was done by a gang with a history of similar incidents, led by alleged mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya from Bihar. He criticized the NTA for not providing exam centre serial numbers and only releasing results in a fragmented PDF format.

CJI noted that it has been confirmed the NEET question paper was transported by an e-rickshaw . Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde added that while there was a leak from Hazaribagh caught in Patna, the extent and timing of the leak remain unclear, with evidence suggesting it occurred on the night of May 4 or earlier.

NEET re-test for at least qualifying candidates: Hedge

Advocate Hooda proposed that, if the Court decides against a complete re-test of the NEET-UG 2024, it should at least mandate a re-examination for those who have already qualified. He suggested that this approach would involve approximately 13 lakh candidates who passed the initial test. According to Hooda, this measure would help address issues related to the examination's fairness and integrity. 'If this Court is not considering Re-NEET, at least qualified people should be asked to re-take the exam, which will be about 13 lakh people,' Hooda said.

Written submissions from lawyers advocating for NEET 2024 re-test

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) has instructed the remaining lawyers who are arguing for a re-test to submit their detailed arguments in writing via email. The Supreme Court's hearing on the NEET UG 2024 case is set to continue tomorrow. On that day, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre are expected to provide their submissions in response to the issues and questions that have been raised during the ongoing proceedings.