The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking its direction to the National Testing Agency to cancel the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate, or NEET UG 2021, and hold the exam again, in the interest of “genuine, deserving and meritorious candidates.†If NEET is cancelled, lakhs of students will suffer, the Supreme Court has observed.
The petition stated NEET 2021 should be cancelled, in the presence of reports of paper leak. CBI has registered FIR against four accused persons and unknown others. Besides the CBI, the police in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have registered multiple FIRs in respect of NEET 2021 exam paper leak, it said.
“Leaking of paper and cancellation of exam cannot be at cost of lakhs of students,†the top court said in its order, according to Live Law.
The petition alleged that the examination was manipulated using proxy candidates and an amount upto 50 lakhs per candidate was charged by coaching centers and those who solved the paper.
“…The court will not cancel the exam in which 7.5 lakh people have taken the exam. This exam was conducted nationally and not locally,†the Supreme Court said.
NEET 2021 cancellation matter was heard by a Bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai. Calling the petitioner ‘adventurous’, the Apex Court said that ‘instances of impersonation and paper leakage cannot be a detriment to lakhs of students who have appeared for the exam.’ It even warned the petitioner that costs might be imposed for filing such a writ petition.Â
