Postponed! NEET 2024 Counselling Likely to Begin at month end, Schedule not Finalised Yet: Report

New Delhi: Even though the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2024 counselling was scheduled to commence today i.e. 6th July 2024, the counselling process has now been deferred until further notice.

This comes after the Supreme Court had earlier denied postponing the counselling schedule of the NEET UG 2024 while considering the pleas alleging paper leak and demanding a re-conduction of the examination. The counselling session was expected to start on July 6 even though the Medical Counselling Committee had not shared any detailed notification and schedule for it.

As per sources, the counselling for admission to undergraduate medical courses has been postponed as the process of issuing letters of permission to some medical colleges is still underway and new seats are likely to be added to the seat matrix.

In this regard, an official source informed PTI, "The date of counselling will be announced once the exercise gets over to ensure seats of the new colleges can be taken up in the first round itself." They said the counselling may begin later this month.

Also Read: NEET 2024 Controversy: Can't Hold Re-test for Solitary Candidate, says SC on aspirant's plea

Meanwhile, an official source informed Education Times that the counselling schedule for NEET UG 2024 examination has not been finalised yet and therefore, it might not start on July 6, 2024.

The Supreme Court will hear multiple NEET-related pleas on Monday i.e. on July 8, 2024.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the National Eligibility-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses, and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of media debates and protests by students and political parties over alleged large-scale malpractices ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation in the test held on May 5.

This came to light after around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange for giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that multiple pleas were filed in this connection before the Supreme Court and High Courts. Some of the pleas demanded the scrapping of the NEET UG 2024 exam and holding a retest.

Meanwhile, during the case proceedings, NTA earlier decided to withdraw the grace marks awarded to 1563 candidates and hold an optional retest for those candidates. Those who did not opt for the retest were allowed to retain their original marks, without the grace marks.