NEET 2017 exam will not be nullified, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to “nullify” the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), 2017, saying it would affect over six lakh candidates who passed the test to join medical and dental courses.

A three-judge bench headed by justice Dipak Misra said it would be “very difficult” to disturb the results of NEET as around 6.11 lakh candidates, of a total of 11.35 lakh aspirants, cleared it and the counselling process was on.

“We cannot pass an interim order like this. The admission process must continue. There are over six lakh students,” the bench, also comprising justice AM Khanwilkar and justice MM Shantanagoudar, said.

“In any case, it is very difficult to disturb the result,” it said, while refusing to accept the submission of counsel appearing for the petitioners who said three sets of question papers were given to the candidates in the exam in Andhra Pradesh. The counsel contended that the NEET 2017 examination has to be “nullified” and conducted afresh.

Additional solicitor general Maninder Singh, appearing for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), opposed the contentions, saying besides English and Hindi, the exam was conducted in eight vernacular languages for the first time.

“The level of difficulty of questions were the same in all the languages. We will put it in affidavit that there were two sets of question papers. Around 1.48 lakh candidates have given the exam in vernacular languages and it was to avoid leakage of question papers,” Singh told the bench.

The petitioners argued that the all-India ranking was given in the NEET exam, which postulates that every candidate should get the same question paper.

However, the bench said it would first go through CBSE’s affidavit and asked the board to file it within three days.

We cannot pass an interim order like this. The admission process must continue. There are over six lakh students. THE SUPREME COURT BENCH