The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Testing Agency to upload centre-wise results of the 2024 undergraduate National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test on its website by 12 pm on July 20 to bring transparency regarding the examination, The Hindu reported.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing a batch of petitions seeking a fresh exam citing alleged paper leaks, optical mark recognition sheet manipulations, impersonation and cheating. The exam was held on May 5 and the results were declared on June 4.
The court said that it has been made clear that paper leaks took place at least in Bihar’s Patna and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.
“The question is whether this is only confined to these centres – in which case there is no question of a re-test – or whether this is more widespread,” the bench said. “Now students [petitioners] have a handicap, because they would never have the kind of data necessary.”
The court then directed the National Testing Agency, which conducted the examination, to upload centre-wise marks obtained by candidates.
However, the identity of the candidates will not be disclosed.
“We want the students’ identity to be masked,” it said. “You can have dummy roll numbers, so no student’s identity is disclosed. But let us see, centre-wise, what was the mark pattern. At the end of it, even if they [petitioners] fail, they and we will have the satisfaction of having done our duty.”
After the results of this year’s examination were announced on June 4, allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities came to light. The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested accused persons in the paper leak case from Bihar and Jharkhand so far.
The Centre on Thursday also told the Court that the counselling for the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test will begin on July 24.
The court will next hear the matter on July 22.
At Thursday’s hearing, a petitioner requested the bench to declare the results of the exam void for all students on the grounds that the leaked paper may have compromised the scores.
The bench said that the re-test can be conducted only if the sanctity of the test was violated on a large scale due to leaked questions, Bar and Bench reported.
“You have to show us that the leak was systematic and that it affected the entire examination so as to warrant cancellation of the entire exam,” the court responded. “Second, tell us what should be the direction of the investigation in this matter.”
The National Testing Agency told the court that there are 131 students who want the re-test and they are not among the 1.08 lakh students who have been selected for admission to private medical colleges.
There are 254 candidates who are in the form of applicants who do not want a re-test and they are among the 1.08 lakhs students, it told the court.
During a hearing on July 8, the bench had observed that if the leak happened through electronic media, then it could be widespread.
Senior Counsel Narender Hooda, appearing for the petitioners, said that the question papers were being circulated through instant messaging service Telegram on May 3 and 4, ahead of the exam.
The exam conducting agency, however, said that the timestamp had been manipulated to create the false impression of an early leak, the affidavit added.
Also read: ‘Recipe for disaster’: Why the NTA’s lack of transparency matters
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