The case on alleged lapses by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 examination was formally closed by the Supreme Court on Monday after the Centre assures to implement recommendations of the expert panel constituted to review the agency’s functioning.
A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi accepted the Compliance report and submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Centre has accepted all but one of the recommendations of the seven-member expert committee. Another one of the suggestions is that NEET-UG be conducted online, as is not yet being done. “In the case of a test of such a scale, there are more than 26 lakh students who take the exam every year, so the government requires more time to assess how feasible it is to provide large internet and computer access throughout the country,” Mehta added.
Mehta told the court that the rest of the report has been accepted, but there are no pending issues that need further legal intervention, and it would take time to suggest online NEET due to logistical concerns.
These submissions were noted by the bench, which said no further orders were required and disposed of the case. Closing the book on this extremely lengthy legal scrutiny of the role the NTA should play in the very competitive medical entrance exam is the reason for this decision.
Earlier in August 2024, the Supreme Court had ruled to not rescind the NEET-UG exam, with the court concluding that there was not enough evidence of a systemic leak or malpractice big enough to shake the integrity of the exam. Nevertheless, it widened the scope of review for the expert panel headed by former ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan. It was directed to suggest large-scale reforms for greater transparency, security and accountability in the conduct of NEET-UG.
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