NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to defer the counselling of NEET UG 2024 set to begin from July 6, saying it is not an "open and shut" process.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and S V N Bhatti issued notices to the National Testing Agency (NTA), Centre and others and sought their responses upon hearing a fresh set of petitions for cancellation of the exam held on May 5 over the alleged irregularities.
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As many as three pleas were listed with respect to the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG exam.
The petitioners -- Hiiten Singh Kashyap, Floral Vyas and Sunil Jain -- sought CBI investigation into the alleged paper leak, cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 exam and the counselling.
One of the petitioners asked the court to stay the counselling from July 6, as the Supreme Court had already scheduled to hear the batch of petitions challenging the NEET-UG exam on July 8.
But the apex court refused to defer the counselling.
"Counselling is not open and shut. It is a process. That process commences on 6th (July). It may be for four days or five days, or an week. But, afterwards, within that week, applicants have any number of options to amend/modify etc. we are allowing time not to be lost, either by this side or that side," the the bench said.
The court is at present seized of various petitions for cancellation of the examination, and CBI probe into paper leakage.
The court had on June 20 stayed the proceedings pending before various High Courts on a plea by the NTA to transfer those matters before it to avoid multiplicity of proceedings.
The NTA had earlier told the court that score-cards of 1563 candidates who "got grace marks" in the NEET-UG 2024, will be cancelled and the candidates will have the option to reappear for the exam to be conducted only for them on June 23.
The NEET-UG is an all India examination, conducted by NTA, for admission into MBBS, BDS and BAMS and other courses in government and private institutions across the country.
