NEET 2021 Candidates Move SC Seeking Cancellation, Re-Exam

The petitioners have also sought directions upon the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Director General of Police of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for submitting a fact-finding report before the top court within a week along with relevant documents and findings, reports Live Law.

NEET is the centralized common entrance test, which was introduced in India for admitting medical students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This year, the exam got delayed due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and was re-scheduled to be held on September 12.

However, this year, the exam was followed by several news related to paper leak and impersonation scams and PTI had earlier reported that the Jaipur Police arrested a candidate for cheating in the exam and the invigilator for taking photos of the paper and sending it to others via Whatsapp.

Following this, students started being vocal about the issue and few of them started demanding that the exam should be conducted once again.

However, Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the NTA DG denied calling the Jaipur incident a leak and clarified that the conspiracy involved only one girl student and it cannot be called a leak since the paper didn't go to someone else.

Later, the students also approached the NTA and submitted a representation before the testing agency seeking a re-conduction of the examination and a CBI probe into the alleged scams.

The candidates have cited several reasons including the change in the exam pattern, the clash of the exam with several state-level CETs and various board examinations, the alleged paper leak etc. to point out why re-conduction of the exam is necessary.

Also Read: NEET 2021 candidates demand re-exam, CBI probe into scam

As per the latest media report by Bar and Bench, now around 13 NEET candidates have knocked the door of the Apex Court and alleging instances of cheating, malpractices, impersonation and paper leak they have sought the cancellation of the exam that was held on September 12, 2021 and prayed for a fresh exam.

Filed through advocate Mamta Sharma, the plea aims to protect the interest of genuine, deserving and meritorious candidates. It pointed out how on the date of the exam itself, CBI had registered an FIR against 4 accused persons and unknown others and claimed that the examination process was manipulated using proxy candidates and candidates were charged up to 50 lakhs each by coahing centers and solver gangs.

Contending that the FIR filed by CBI clearly proves that the NEET UG 2021 exam paper was leaked under a criminal conspiracy and several solvers gangs and coaching centers were involved in it, the plea further stated that the initial investigation established the fact that the medical entrance exam was irreversibly vitiated by use of fraudulent means and unfair practices, adds Live Law.

Thus the candidates have sought the following directions from the Apex Court-

(1) Direct the Ministry of Education, National Testing Agency and National Medical Commision to enhance the standard of Security Protocols including biometric verification of candidates, use of jammers etc to conduct the examination in a fair and transparent manner.

(2) Direct NTA to submit an affidavit within a week explaining why the examination shouldn't be cancelled and a decision doesn't get taken to conduct a fresh examination.

(3) Directions upon CBI and Director General of Police of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for submitting a fact-finding report before the Supreme Court of India within a week with all relevant information and documents as well as the findings. Further, the candidates have sought directions upon the investigating agencies to book and complete the trial as fast as possible so that the guilty can be punished.