Supreme Court Stays High Court Proceedings on NEET-UG 2024 Paper Leak Allegations

By Liam Vas, Govind Ramnath Kare College Of Law

The Supreme Court on Thursday (June 20) paused proceedings in cases filed in the Rajasthan, Calcutta, and Bombay High Courts regarding the alleged NEET-UG 2024 exam paper leak on May 5.

A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti made this decision while issuing a notice on a transfer petition filed by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The NTA seeks to move these cases from the High Courts to the Supreme Court.

Initially, the bench was hesitant to issue a stay, suggesting that issuing notice on transfer petitions usually prompts the High Courts to stop further actions on the matter. However, Advocate Vardhaman Kaushik, representing the NTA, pointed out that the High Courts were still handling the issue despite a similar notice being issued the previous week.

The bench noted that cases involving individual grievances could still be addressed by the High Courts. Justice Vikram Nath mentioned a recent Allahabad High Court ruling where a petition was dismissed after it was discovered that a NEET aspirant had submitted forged documents.

Counsel for the NTA clarified that the transfer request pertained only to petitions challenging the alleged paper leak, not individual complaints. As a result, the bench agreed to stay the High Court proceedings, setting the transfer petitions for July 8.

Last week, the Supreme Court issued notice on the NTA’s request to transfer a similar petition from the Delhi High Court. Additionally, the Court issued notice on other writ petitions alleging discrepancies in the NEET-UG 2024 process and scheduled them for hearing on July 8. The Court stated that the counseling process would continue, subject to the petitions’ outcomes.

The cases for which the Court issued notice are:

1. NTA vs. Keshav Pareek and others (T.P.(C) No. 1602/2024) – pending in the Rajasthan High Court.

2. NTA vs. Shreya Banerjee and others (T.P.(C) No. 1597/2024)- pending in the Calcutta High Court.

3. NTA vs. Tanmoy Chattopadhyay and others (T.P.(C) No. 1596/2024)- pending in the Calcutta High Court.

4. NTA vs. Nikita (Minor) and others (T.P.(C) No. 1600/2024)- pending in the Bombay High Court (Aurangabad Bench).

The Supreme Court reiterated that while the proceedings in the High Court stay, it is not halting the ongoing counselling process for NEET-UG 2024. The admissions will proceed, but they will be subject to the final outcome of the petitions being addressed by the Court.

Justice Vikram Nath’s reference to the Allahabad High Court case emphasized the importance of verifying the authenticity of documents submitted in legal proceedings. This recent example involved a NEET aspirant, Ayushi Patel, whose petition was dismissed after she was found to have presented forged documents claiming the NTA failed to declare her result.

The Supreme Court’s decision to consolidate the petitions into a single forum is aimed at ensuring uniformity and avoiding conflicting judgments from different High Courts. By hearing the cases together, the Supreme Court seeks to provide a comprehensive resolution to the allegations surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak.

These steps underscore the Supreme Court’s proactive stance in addressing significant national examination issues and ensuring that the examination process remains fair and transparent. The Court’s next hearing on these matters is scheduled for July 8, where further directions are expected.

Supreme Court stays proceedings before High Courts; issues notice in NTA transfer plea