Asian Mail
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday has acknowledged that the NEET-UG exam held on May 5 was compromised due to a question paper leak. The court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to investigate the matter and identify the beneficiaries of the leak.
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“The fact that the sanctity of the exam has been compromised is beyond doubt. It is an admitted fact that there is a leak, and the nature of the leak is something that we are determining,” said Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
“If the leak was on social media, then it would have been very widespread. We need to ascertain if the nature of the leak was widespread or isolated to decide on ordering a re-test,” the Chief Justice added.
The court also sought a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on their probe into the alleged paper leak. “We need to scrutinize whether an alleged breach has taken place at the systemic level, whether the breach has affected the integrity of the entire exam process, and whether it’s possible to segregate beneficiaries of fraud from untainted students,” the court said.
The NTA and the Union government opposed canceling the exam, stating it would jeopardize the chances of honest candidates. However, the court emphasized the need to ensure the integrity of the examination process.
The apex court will hear the case next on July 11 and has asked for affidavits from NTA, the Centre, and the CBI with all the details by 5 pm on July 10.
