Updated: July 5, 2024 6:37 PM IST 
New Delhi: In a fresh development in the NEET-UG 2024 Examination, the National Testing Agency has told the Supreme Court on Friday that cancellation of the controversy-ridden NEET-UG 2024 exam would be hugely counterproductive and harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of those who cleared it.
The agency has said that the NEET-UG 2024 exam was carried out fairly and with due confidentiality in entirety without any illegal practices and the claim of “mass malpractice” is “completely unfounded, misleading, and lacks any basis”.
In its affidavit filed in response to one of the petitions in the top court, the NTA, which conducts the NEET-UG examination, said the alleged incident/attempt of leak does not seem to have any bearing on the conduct of the entire examination held on May 5, as the number of candidates found to be involved by the investigating agencies is minuscule compared to number of candidates who appeared.
“The cancellation of the entire examination on the basis of the aforesaid factor, would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates,” it said.
“It is also submitted that at the same time, in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared,” the Centre said.
Scrapping the NEET-UG, 2024 exam in entirety would “seriously jeopardise” lakhs of honest candidates and not be rational in the absence of any proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality, the Centre also told the apex court on Friday in a separate affidavit.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) was conducted on May 5 by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses.
The top court is scheduled to hear on July 8 a batch of pleas, including those alleging irregularities in the examination held on May 5 and seeking a direction that it be conducted afresh. Allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, have led to protests in several cities and sparring between rival political parties.
(With inputs from agencies)
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