Supreme Court Upholds NEET-UG 2024 Amid Allegations of Question Paper Leak

The Supreme Court has refused to annul the NEET-UG 2024 exam, despite allegations of question paper leakage at centers in Hazaribagh and Patna. The investigation by the CBI is ongoing but has not yet reached a conclusion. The decision impacts over 23 lakh students who took the test.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Under Graduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination conducted on May 5. A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, found no systemic breach in the exam process.

While acknowledging localized incidents of paper leakage at centers in Hazaribagh and Patna, the Court noted that the data does not indicate a widespread issue that would compromise the exam's integrity. However, a government report disclosed that 155 students appeared to have benefited from the fraud, yet the CBI's investigation into the matter remains incomplete.

The bench highlighted that ordering a re-examination could have severe consequences for the academic schedules of over 23 lakh students who participated in this year's test. The Court emphasized the urgent need to provide finality to the dispute to prevent further educational disruption, thus dismissing the pleas to annul the NEET-UG 2024 results.