No urgent SC hearing on PIL for computer-based NEET re-exam

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant urgent hearing to a PIL seeking computer-based test (CBT) for the June 21 re-examination of NEET-UG, which was held nationwide on May 3 but was scrapped following allegations of paper leak.

A partial-working day bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Aravind Kumar told the petitioner, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, that similar pleas were dismissed by the SC in the past and posted the matter for hearing in July, thus negating the urgent plea for computer-based NEET-UG re-examination.

When the petitioner’s counsel said CBT would minimise the chances of question paper leak, the bench said the authorities were already facing challenges in conducting the re-examination within a short timeframe.

The bench tagged the plea with a bunch of petitions which were filed following the question paper leaks to seek reforms in the functioning of NTA and the mode and means of conducting examinations.

Before the summer break, a Justice Narasimha-led bench had aired concern over cancellation of NEET-UG and had asked the Union govt and NTA to give details of steps taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents which traumatise lakhs of students.

While the investigation into the question paper leak was entrusted to CBI, the NTA in its affidavit had informed the court that NEET-UG would be conducted in CBT mode from the next examination cycle.

“The transition will be implemented from the next examination cycle in consultation with the ministry of health and family welfare (the client ministry for NEET-UG), thereby bringing all major NTA examinations onto the CBT platform,” NTA has said, and assured the SC that the re-examination would be conducted with enhanced surveillance and inter-agency coordination.

The bench had said unless accountability was fastened individually on those responsible for paper leak of NEET-UG or similar exams, it would be difficult to prevent such incidents.