Re-NEET unreasonable, harsh for honest hardworking students! 56 successful candidates move Supreme Court to Stop NTA from cancelling NEET 2024

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged irregularities in NET 2024 conduct this year, another petition has been filed before the Supreme Court wherein over 50 successful Gujarat-based NEET candidates, including several who have been ranked first, have opposed the re-neet and cancelling the results of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. Through the plea, the candidates have moved the apex court seeking a direction to restrain the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) from cancelling the controversy-ridden exam.

According to a recent report by PTI, the candidates have sought a direction from the top court to the Union Education Ministry to probe, identify and take strict action against students and others who indulged in unfair practices like paper leak and impersonation in the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 5 this year.

The fresh plea by 56 students through lawyer Devendra Singh has been filed days before a top court bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear as many as 26 petitions seeking reliefs including re-test and probe into the conduct of the examination plagued by allegations of malpractices.

"The Hon'ble court may further direct the respondents (Centre and the NTA) not to re-conduct NEET-UG ... as that would not only be unreasonable and harsh for the honest and hardworking students but also would lead to the infringement of the Right to Education and therefore violative of Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution," the plea said, quotes PTI.

The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the NTA to identify and punish the examinees who adopted unfair means, identify the centres and take appropriate action where any "compromise to the established guidelines for NEET-UG 2024 examinations has been done."

The Petitioners are young students around 17-18 years of age, and to achieve their dream of becoming a doctor, they have given their 100 per cent and have cleared the exam after consistent hard work of more than 3-4 years, it said.

However, the continuous coverage of news regarding the cancellation of the exam and possibility of a re-test for all is creating mental pressure and causing unnecessary stress, it said.

If the re-test happens as a result of "hype created due to the misleading coverage by media", the honest successful students will have to face hardship, it added.

Singla, the lead petitioner, ranked 778 in the merit list of NEET-UG 2024, the plea said, adding, "He has always been an outstanding student who in class 12th has topped in his school with 96.60%. It is further stated that amongst the other co-petitioners, there are students who have scored even the 1st Rank...".