Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing on NEET re-test plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has declined to urgently hear petitions seeking the postponement of the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21 after the original test was cancelled over a question paper leak controversy.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice said the matter would be considered by the bench led by Justice Narasimha, which is already dealing with other petitions related to NEET.

The National Testing Agency had conducted the examination on May 3 but cancelled it on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The case is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Students challenging the re-examination date argued that the short gap between the cancellation of the original test and the rescheduled examination had left candidates with inadequate time to prepare. The plea for urgent listing was moved before the court by Advocate Adeel Ahmed on behalf of the petitioners.

The petitions include complaints and signatures collected from students across several states. According to the submissions, the sudden cancellation of the examination and the quick announcement of a fresh test date have caused significant anxiety and mental stress among candidates. Students have also raised concerns about insufficient preparation time, clashes with other entrance examinations and difficulties related to travel arrangements.

The petitions further point to the impact of misinformation and paper leak-related claims circulating on social media, alleging that these developments have affected students' mental well-being. The filings also refer to instances of student suicides allegedly linked to severe stress

Earlier, on May 29, the Supreme Court had stressed the need to identify and act against those responsible for lapses in the conduct of the examination. The Centre has informed the court that extensive security measures have been put in place for the re-examination.