"Even If There's 0.001 percent Negligence...": Supreme Court Reprimands NTA And Centre In NEET-UG Row
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court slammed the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) for their lack of accountability regarding the alleged irregularities found in the NEET-UG 2024 examinations.
Hearing a petition related to the same, the top court emphasised that even if there was a possibility of minimal negligence, it must take swift action. The Supreme Court stated, “If there’s even 0.001 percent negligence on anyone’s part, it should be thoroughly dealt with.”
Read Also: NEET Scam: What Happened At Godhra Exam Centre
The court also told the NTA, which conducts the nationwide exam, that if there is a mistake, the agency must acknowledge it and inform its next course of action to rectify it. “At least that inspires confidence in your performance,” the court said.
The court reminded the agency of the efforts put in by the students to prepare for and write one of the toughest and most competitive entrance exams in the country. “Imagine a person who has played fraud on the system becomes a doctor; he is more deleterious to society. Children study hard to get through NEET,” the court added.
Read Also: NEET UG – 2024 Controversy: Leaders’ Responses In Support Of 24 Lakh Candidates
The next hearing on the matter has been scheduled for July 8. The court has also asked the NTA to submit a response on the matter by July 8, the day for the next hearing on the matter.
A series of petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court since the NEET-UG 2024 results were published, demanding a complete re-evaluation of all OMR answer sheets, the formation of a new rank of candidates, and a court-monitored inquiry.
A week ago, the NTA informed the apex court that the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates would be scrapped, and the candidates would be given the option to retake the exam on June 23. The agency stated that the results of the re-examination would be announced on June 30. In case, any of the candidates choose not to give the exam again, their earlier score minus the extra marks would be the final score.
