NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended proceedings pending with regard to NEET UG 2024 before various High Courts on plea by the National Testing Agency to transfer such matter before the top court.
The apex court once again refused to halt the proposed counselling for admission to MBBS, BAMS, BDS and other courses from July 6.
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The court, however, decided to examine fresh petitions seeking CBI probe into alleged irregularities during the all India test on May 5.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and S V N Bhatti asked the Union government and the National Testing Agency, which conducted the test, to respond to the petitions filed seeking CBI inquiry into the matter.
"Let the Union government and the NTA respond to the petitions on July 8," the bench said.
A counsel for the petitioners sought a stay on the counselling.
The bench, however, said, "No stay on the counselling. If examination goes after final hearing, then counselling also goes."
The court also referred to a case of Lucknow girl whose case was taken up opposition leaders including Priyanka Gandhi. She initially claimed to have received torn OMR sheet from NTA but subsequently withdrew her petition from the Allahabad High Court after it was revealed that she has deliberately created sensation by using a wrong registration number.
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Advocate Kanu Aggarwal for the NTA asked the bench to stay the proceedings pending before various High Courts with regard to the NEET UG test on the basis of a plea for transfer of those cases before the top court.
The court also issued notice to the NTA and the Centre on a plea by some candidates from Meghalaya who contended there was about 40 minutes delay on start of their examination on May 5 and they must be given a chance to appear in retest on June 23.
The results of NEET UG 2024 were declared on June 4.
Candidates at several places resorted to agitation and demonstration alleging malpractices and paper leakage. They demanded re examination as Bihar, Delhi and Gujarat police lodged separate FIRs in this regard.
The Centre and the NTA agreed to hold a retest for 1563 candidates after withdrawing grace and compensatory marks awarded to them due to time loss.
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A counsel raised the issue of composition of independent committee which recommended for retest for 1563 candidates, saying it also comprised of a member who was also a member of the NTA.
The court had earlier issued notice to the Centre and NTA on pleas for holding fresh examination for admission to undergraduate courses in government and private medical colleges across the country but declined to stay the counselling process. The court had fixed all the petitions for consideration on July 8.
