The Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The top court said that it realises that giving direction for a fresh NEET-UG for the present year would be replete with serious consequences for over 24 lakh students who appeared in the medical test.

The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking direction to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the examination afresh, alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the test held. The aspirants had approached the apex court and raised the issue of leakage of the question paper, awarding compensatory marks and anomalies in the NEET-UG.

According to the Supreme Court, a re-examination will lead to serious consequences that will affect over 23 lakh students and might lead to disruption of the academic schedule.

What Supreme Court Refused Re-Examination?

- The top court, according to Bar and Bench, said that since there is no systemic breach in the NEET Exam, therefore, it cannot be cancelled.

- The top court said that the ordering cancellation of the entire exam is not justified on the application of settled principles propounded by the court on the basis of material on record.

- The bench, comprising CJI Chandrachud, Justices J.B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, said that it was mindful of the fact that directing a fresh exam would be replete with serious consequences for over 2 million students who had appeared for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (undergraduate) on May 5. 

- The top court clarified that the judgment won't prevent authorities from taking action against candidates who had secured admission using malpractices.

- The National Testing Agency (NTA) has been asked to re-tally the marks afresh in view of the opinion rendered by the expert panel of IIT Delhi in respect of a contentious physics question, saying that two options cannot be treated as the correct answers to a question.

The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking direction to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the examination afresh, alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the test held.

Aspirants had approached the top court and raised the issue of leakage of the question paper, awarding compensatory marks and anomaly in question of NEET-UG.

NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is the pathway for admissions into MBBS, BDS and AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

The NEET-UG 2024 was held across 4,750 centres on May 5, and around 24 lakh candidates ad in i