NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India, on Friday, August 2, issued a stern critique of the National Testing Agency (NTA) over its handling of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The Court's detailed judgment addressed the issues related to the exam held on May 5, which had been marred by allegations of a paper leak and other malpractices.

The Supreme Court, in its July 23 order, decided against canceling the exam despite concerns. It found no evidence that the paper leak significantly compromised the integrity of the entire exam. However, the Court was critical of several errors and inconsistencies on the part of the NTA.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud expressed disappointment with the NTA’s "flip-flops" during the exam process. He stressed that these missteps did not benefit the students and urged the NTA to avoid such errors in the future.

Among the issues highlighted were the NTA's decisions to allow candidates to change their exam centers and open new registration options, which raised concerns about fairness. Additionally, the NTA's decision to award grace marks to 1,563 students—who were given incorrect question papers—was later reversed, requiring those students to take a re-test.

The Chief Justice also criticized the NTA's handling of ambiguous questions. Initially, grace marks were awarded to students who answered a question with two possible answers. An expert panel from IIT-Delhi later confirmed that the question had only one correct answer. As a result, the Court directed the NTA to adjust the results, noting that 44 students had received a full score of 720 marks due to the incorrect treatment of the question.

The Supreme Court's judgment underscores the need for greater consistency and transparency in the administration of exams, highlighting the importance of maintaining trust in the examination process.

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