Supreme Court refuses to quash NEET-UG 2024 exam; Says 'new exam will be met with dire consequences'
New Delhi: In a breaking development, the Supreme Court has said that the direction of the new NEET-UG for the current year will have dire consequences for over 24 lakh students appearing for the exam.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra heard a battery of lawyers including the Center and the National Testing Agency (NTA) and senior advocates Narendra Hooda, Sanjay Hegde and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Mathews Nedumapra for about four days.
The bench decided the operative part of the judgment keeping in mind the future of more than 20 million students and said that a detailed judgment would be issued later.
“There is absence of material to conclude that the result of NEET-UG 2024 examination is rigged or there is a systematic violation,” the CJI said. The bench has said that the incident of question paper bursting in Hazaribagh and Patna is not disputed.
The NTA and the Union Education Ministry have been at the center of massive political controversy and protests by students over the alleged rampant malpractices in the May 5 exam, ranging from question paper cracking to impersonation.
The court granted pre-arrest bail to the accused aspirant's father
A Rouse Avenue court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to the father of a NEET UG 2024 candidate for whom an impersonator allegedly appeared in the exam. The CBI is investigating the case related to the NEET UG paper case.
Special Judge Ankit Singla granted anticipatory bail to Shambhu Sharan Ram. If arrested, he will be released on a bond and bail of Rs 50,000, the court said. Ram's son, Abhishek Raj, was a candidate for NEET UG 2024, for which Keshav allegedly appeared in Delhi.
Opposing the pre-arrest bail of Shambhu Sharan Ram, the CBI said his son is evading arrest.
If his son was evading arrest, there could be no reason to arrest him, the court said. He has been granted anticipatory bail. Meanwhile, the court granted interim protection from arrest to accused Bishu Kumar for 30 days. The court said that he will participate in the investigation. –
According to the CBI, Bishu Kumar is the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy. He was Keshav's roommate and senior, who appeared for Abhishek Raj in NEET UG. Keshav and Bishu Kumar are themselves medical students from Champaran, Bihar.
Arguing the bail applications, counsel Ankit Kishore submitted that Bishu Kumar is a 20-year-old medical student. They have no role in this case. He went to the exam center only with Keshav. He is an MBBS student with a bright future ahead of him. Keshav has already been granted bail.
(with input from agencies)
