SC allows NTA to transfer petitions to Top Court on NEET-UG 2024 exam paper leak

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed National Testing Agency (NTA) to transfer the petitions pending in the High Courts to the Top Court regarding the paper leak in the NEET-UG-2024 exam and tagged it with other petitions which will now be heard on July 8.

The NTA sought to transfer the three pending petitions from the various High Courts to the Apex Court.

A Vacation bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta issued notice on the transfer petition filed by the NTA.

Advocate Vardhaman Kaushik representing NTA requested the Top Court to allow them to withdraw the three petitions filed in various High Courts in view of the decision taken by the authorities to withdraw the grace marks awarded to the 1563 students and was endorsed by the Supreme Court on Thursday.

The matter pertains to the NEET-UG 2024 exam conducted by NTA on May 5 this year.

Several cases were filed in the Supreme Court as well as High Courts alleging irregularities and malpractices such as mass-level paper leaks, exam centre manipulations, "arbitrary" grant of grace marks to certain candidates, etc.

The Supreme Court had issued notice on certain petitions seeking cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam over allegations of paper leak and listed them for hearing on July 8.

The Apex Court yesterday endorsed the Centre’s plea to cancel the score cards of 1563 candidates after giving grace marks and they would be given an option of re-test.

If any of such candidates does not choose to re-appear, their result would be declared on the basis of actual scores (without grace marks), the centre told the Supreme Court on June 13.