“Disappointed, but it is fate”: NEET-UG petitioners, parents, experts react to SC verdict

In a blow to lakhs of medical aspirants, the Supreme Court refused to cancel the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 exam, which has been marred by allegations of paper leaks and malpractice this year.

Today, Tuesday, July 23, the apex court ruled that at the present stage, the evidence is not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper, which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the exam.

The ruling comes as a major letdown for students and petitioners who had been eagerly waiting for a favourable verdict after months of confusion regarding the future of the examination.

Sonal Chaudhary, a NEET-UG 2024 candidate, shared, “This is absolutely wrong. Despite having all the evidence, the court gave a clean chit to the NTA and this is absolutely unfair. However, we cannot do anything and will have to accept this order. If the judiciary cannot do anything, we cannot either. We will prepare for next year.”

On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the court that its probe has indicated that at the present stage, the material has emerged that 155 students from the exam centres at Hazaribagh and Patna appear to be beneficiaries of the fraud. However, the investigation is yet to attain finality.

Petitioners, who were present during the Supreme Court hearing said that they were hopeful that the apex court would take a significant decision based on the report submitted by the CBI.

Dr Raj Shekhar Yadav, father of petitioner Riddhima Rao, said, “Unfortunately, despite the evidence, the court did not accept that there has been a systematic breach in the sanctity of the exam. We are disappointed, we were vehemently asking for a re-exam but we respect the verdict of the court. Students are disappointed but they do not have any other option than to accept the decision. There is no legal remedy or any other alternative now, this is fate.”

No trust in system, judiciary…

Students and petitioners further expressed that the Supreme Court’s verdict dealt a blow to aspirants’ trust in the judiciary as well as the country’s education sector.

Health activist Vivek Pandey, who assisted a group of NEET-UG candidates in approaching the Supreme Court regarding the paper leak matter, said, “This year, multiple instances of paper leak, impersonation, rank inflation, mismanagement at exam centres, multiple toppers from a single centre, and other such malpractices came forward. Somewhere, this suggests that there are definitely loopholes in NTA’s management. These loopholes are being used by the scammers, paper leak gangs to play with the future of deserving students.”

“Today, if the court has not cancelled the examination, it has only given a boost to these scammers. Now, if any paper is leaked in the future, the students should not keep any hopes of justice, either from the government or judiciary,” added Vivek Pandey.

Incomplete investigation

It is also argued that the petitioners in the NEET-UG paper leak case should have been given the benefit of ‘Prima-facie’ evidence, considering that the CBI investigation has not yet concluded.

Educationist JP Gandhi, while speaking to EdexLive, expressed that instead of rushing the counselling process, the court should have ensured that the investigation concluded before the verdict.

“Even if a re-exam couldn't be conducted, they should have ensured that the investigation was concluded and not even a single student who was involved in the malpractice should get admission. There should be no hurry to start the counselling, all the findings should be transparent,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi also drew a comparison to the pivotal Supreme Court verdict in 2015, when it scrapped the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and ordered a re-test following severe irregularities.

“In 2015, the SC had said that the exam stands vitiated even if one student is being benefited illegally. Now, despite having so much evidence, nothing was done. Now, in the future, any exam conducted by the NTA is going to be even more challenging for the students as their trust has come down,” Gandhi added.

What next for students?

While the verdict may be a setback for many aspiring doctors, experts and educators emphasise that it does not define their future paths.

Kapil Gupta, CEO of NEETPrep, shared, “I have been telling all my students to not make any decisions about their future today. This has been a major verdict and many students are feeling disappointed. Whether or not they should go for the college they are getting, or move abroad for education, all these decisions should be reserved for later, when they are in a better state of mind.”

“I will also stress that no exam is more important than their lives. This is just one hurdle along the way and it does not define their futures,” he added.