The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), seeking a response regarding irregularities in the NEET-UG results. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah stated, “The sanctity has been affected, so we need answers.” Despite the ongoing investigation, the bench clarified that counseling would not be halted and scheduled the next hearing for July 8, alongside a related plea.

The plea against the NTA alleges that the May 5 exam was marred by malpractices, including multiple paper leaks. It claims these leaks violated Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution by giving an unfair advantage to some candidates over those who attempted the exam fairly.

Further allegations pertain to irregularities in the results announced on June 4, where 67 candidates shared the first rank, including six from the same center in Haryana. The allocation of grace marks to a few candidates has also been questioned.

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Several opposition parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, have flagged these issues. The AAP has called for a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe, while Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and KC Venugopal have alleged paper leaks and corruption. Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, “Lakhs of children prepare hard for exams like NEET, investing the most precious moments of their lives. Yet, year after year, paper leaks and result irregularities have been reported.”

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing affiliated with the RSS, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the NEET-UG allegations.

In response, the NTA has set up a four-member committee to review the results of 1,563 candidates from specific centers, including Meghalaya, Bahadurgarh in Haryana, Dantewada and Balod in Chhattisgarh, Surat in Gujarat, and Chandigarh. These candidates were reportedly awarded grace marks for ‘loss of time.’ Subodh Kumar Singh, Director General of NTA, stated that the high-powered committee, headed by a former UPSC chairman, will submit its recommendations within a week, potentially leading to revised results.

However, the NTA has denied all allegations of irregularities, attributing the high marks to changes in NCERT textbooks and the awarding of grace marks. A total of 24 lakh candidates registered for the exam, with a 97% attendance rate.