The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to private parties following a plea from the National Testing Agency (NTA) requesting the transfer of multiple pending cases across various high courts regarding the NEET-UG 2024 controversy. The NTA argued that consolidating these cases in the Supreme Court would prevent redundant litigation. A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta acknowledged the NTA’s submission, directing that the matter will be heard on July 8. According to PTI, several petitions in different high courts seek to cancel the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test–Under Graduate (NEET-UG) 2024 due to alleged question paper leaks and other malpractices.
Additionally, the NTA indicated its intent to withdraw three other petitions related to granting grace marks to 1,563 candidates affected by exam time loss during the May 5 NEET-UG exam. The NTA’s counsel informed the bench that the issue of compensatory marks had been resolved, with plans to inform the high court about the cancellation of these marks and the subsequent June 13 order from the Supreme Court.
Earlier, on June 13, the Centre and NTA informed the Supreme Court that they had rescinded the grace marks awarded to the 1,563 candidates. Affected candidates now have the choice to either opt for a re-test or forego the compensatory marks, as per the Centre’s statement.
The controversy surrounding NEET-UG 2024 has sparked nationwide protests and legal actions across seven high courts, including the Supreme Court. In Delhi, students gathered on June 10 to protest alleged irregularities, particularly highlighting concerns about the unprecedented perfect scores achieved by 67 students, including six from a centre in Faridabad, Haryana. These allegations have raised suspicions of irregularities, with claims that grace marks may have contributed to multiple students sharing the top rank.