NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by six NEET-UG candidates who alleged discrepancies in their OMR sheets and directed them to approach the Delhi High Court for relief.
The petitioners had claimed that the answers marked on their original OMR sheets did not match the OMR sheets uploaded by the National Testing Agency (NTA) after the examination.
The matter was heard by a bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, which observed that several similar issues related to NEET and the functioning of the NTA were already before courts.
STUDENTS SOUGHT ONLY ONE ANSWER
Appearing for the six candidates, their counsel told the court that their grievance was limited and different from other NEET-related petitions.
The students had appeared for the re-conducted NEET examination and were not seeking cancellation of the exam or a broader review of the process. Their only request was that they should be provided copies of their original OMR sheets so they could verify whether their marks had been calculated correctly.
The counsel highlighted that the counselling process was already underway and requested the court’s intervention on the limited issue.
COURT POINTS TO PENDING NEET REFORM CASES
During the hearing, the Supreme Court noted that multiple petitions concerning NEET and the NTA were already pending before it.
The court is currently examining larger questions related to examination reforms and strengthening the examination system after concerns over irregularities in competitive exams.
The Centre has also been asked to explain steps being taken to improve transparency, security and accountability in entrance examinations, particularly NEET-UG.
PETITIONERS NOW TO APPROACH DELHI HIGH COURT
After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court declined to entertain the petition and asked the students to approach the Delhi High Court instead.
The dismissal means the candidates will now have to seek further relief from the High Court if they want access to their original OMR sheets or a review of their individual cases.
The development comes amid continued scrutiny over the conduct of national-level examinations and the demand from students for greater transparency in the evaluation process.
