"Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Supreme Court's ruling on NEET-UG '24 rejects the propaganda being peddled."
New Delhi [India], August 2 Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for upholding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG) held on May 5, stating there was no systemic breach in the exam.
In a post on X, Pradhan remarked that the Supreme Court's findings and verdict "outrightly reject the propaganda that was being peddled." He added that the Court's observation of no systemic breach in the NEET-UG exam and the decision against a re-exam affirm the government's stance.
"The government remains committed to a 'Tamper-free, Transparent & Zero-error examination system.' To ensure this, we will promptly implement the recommendations of the high-level committee of experts once they are received," the Minister stated.
"We wholeheartedly thank the Supreme Court for delivering justice and safeguarding the interests of lakhs of hardworking students. We will adhere to the Supreme Court's judgement fully," he continued.
Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, however, disagreed with the Apex Court's decision, arguing that it would be unjust to base admissions on the NEET test results.
"I respectfully disagree with the Supreme Court because the integrity of this test is completely compromised. Relying on the results of this test for admissions, in my view, will be very unfair to students given the significant anomalies reported," Karthi Chidambaram said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor suggested a reevaluation of the examination system. He pointed to several complaints, including a case where a Gujarat topper who had failed school exams somehow excelled in NEET. Tharoor also noted issues with NEET PG, where many students from Kerala were assigned centers in Andhra and Telangana. He emphasized the need for a better and more efficient examination system to protect students' aspirations and hopes.
On July 23, the Supreme Court rejected calls to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Under Graduate (NEET-UG) 2024 exam held on May 5, citing no systemic breach.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stated that there was no evidence to suggest the exam results were compromised or that there was a systemic breach. While acknowledging the NEET-UG paper leak incidents in Hazaribagh and Patna, the Court found no indication of a disruption in the exam's sanctity.
The ruling came in response to petitions requesting the recall of NEET-UG 2024 results and a new examination due to alleged paper leakage and malpractices. The NEET-UG 2024 was administered across 4,750 centers on May 5, with approximately 24 lakh candidates participating.