NTA Should Avoid Flip-Flops Which Happened In NEET-UG Case : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday (August 2) criticised the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the "flip flops" it made in relation to the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam.The Court was pronouncing the detailed judgment giving the reasons for its July 23 order which refused to cancel the NEET-UG exam held on May 5 over paper leak and malpractices.While holding that there was no material to show that the leak was widespread affecting the sanctity of the entire exam, the Court highlighted the lapses made by the NTA.After the oral pronouncement, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, "We have said that the NTA must now avoid the flip flops which it has made in this case. These flip-flops in the NTA does not serve the interest of the students."Court flags Security lapsesThe Court observed in the judgment that he paper was leaked in Patna and Hazaribagh. In one of the centres, the rear door of the strongroom was opened and unauthorised persons were permitted to access the question papers. This indicates that there is a serious lapse in security and that security measures which are stringent and effective must be implemented by NTA.Questions papers were sometimes transported in e-rickshaws and services of private courier companies were used.No specific time has been mentioned to seal the OMR sheets after the exam. This can mean that dishonest people can tamper with the sheets after the candidates have exited the hall. Another point of concern is that NTA relies on persons over whom it does not exercise direct oversight to be the invigilators for the exam.In twelve centres, the wrong question paper from Canara Bank were distributed.Grace mark issueThe Court also flagged the NTA's decision to award grace marks to 1563 students to compensate for the loss of time they suffered for being given the wrong question paper. However, this decision was later retracted and those students were made to appear for a re-test.The Court also pointed out the NTA's decision to award grace marks to students who attempted a second option for an ambiguous question. Later, the expert panel constituted by the IIT-Delhi opined that the question has only one correct answer, following which the Court directed the NTA to revise the results accordingly. Because of the NTA's decision to treat two answers as the correct answer, 44 students got the full 720 marks, CJI pointed out."A body such as NTA which is entrusted with immense responsibility in relation to highly important competitive exams cannot afford to misstep, take an incorrect decision, and amend it at a later stage. All decisions must be well-considered, with due regard to the importance of the decision. Flip- flops are an anathema to fairness.NTA is directed to ensure that all the concerns highlighted by the Court in this judgment are addressed. The committee constituted by the Union Government is also requested to keep these issues in mind while formulating its recommendations," the Court observed in the judgment.In the judgment, the Court has given additional directions to the expert committee, which was constituted by the Union Government on June 22 to examine measures to make the exam process more robust.The Court has asked the expert-committee to evaluate mechanism to evaluate the security mechanism ensure rigorous checks in the exam process. The committee has been asked to formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding the timeline for registration, change of exam centres, sealing and storage of OMR sheets. The other suggestions are :review the process by which exam centres are allotted to candidatesconsider the viability of comprehensive CCTV monitoring at all exam centres.review and suggest measures for enhancing the process for printing, transportation of papers.explore the viability of using closed vehicles with real-time locks rather than open e-rickshaws for transportation.enhance identity checks at various stages, technological innovations to check impersonation and take into account privacy law.The Court has asked the committee to prepare a report by September 30, 2024. Thereafter, the Ministry of Education shall formulate the program to be implemented in a month and then inform the court of the development after two weeks of the said decision. For detailed reading of the suggestions to the expert committee - Supreme Court Asks Expert Committee To Suggest Reforms For Better Administration Of NEET-UG ExamSupreme Court Highlights NTA's Lapses, Says Manner In Which NEET-UG 24 Was Conducted Raises Serious ConcernsA bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra delivered the judgement in a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test(NEET) held for Under Graduate (UG) medical admissions on May 5, 2024 for paper leak and malpractices. The results were declared on June 4.The Court stated that the leak was localised in the centres of Hazaribagh and Patna. The Court also stated that...

NTA Should Avoid Flip-Flops Which Happened In NEET-UG Case : Supreme Court

Anmol Kaur Bawa

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