The Supreme Court has granted an additional period of two weeks to the Centre’s seven-member expert panel, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief K Radhakrishnan, to submit its report on revamping the entire exam process of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
The Bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra passed the order on a petition filed by one Vanshika Yadav, seeking retest of NEET-UG in view of the irregularities in the exam conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 5.
The Apex Court granted more time after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union of India, submitted that the deadline for filing the expert committee report was ending.
The Bench further took into consideration the fact that the high-powered committee’s report was almost complete.
Earlier on August 2, the Apex Court had directed a slew of measures and steps to be taken while conducting the NEET-UG examination, to ensure that it was unbiased, impartial, free from malpractices, and transparent.
The committee was ordered to submit a report by September 30, encompassing seven steps to ensure a robust and fool-proof exam process.
The steps, as suggested by the Apex Court, included an evaluation committee, a standard operating procedure, reviewing of the process for allotment of exam centre, enhanced identity checks, CCTV monitoring of exam centres; secured logistic providers for ensuring non-tempering of papers, and a robust grievance redressal mechanism.
The Central government recently filed an application in the Apex Court, requesting it to modify its August 2, 2024 judgment, and grant further time to submit the report.
The Union government submitted that in compliance and pursuance to the directions passed by this court, the committee held 22 meetings till September 18, 2024, to evaluate the current challenges, complexities, and potential risks in conducting high-stake examinations, as well as security measures involved in the process.
The committee further deliberated with various stakeholders, including online consultations on MyGov Portal, in which 37,144 responses were received from students, guardians, academicians, and experts.
The application said the expert panel also held physical consultations with exam-conducting agencies, state governments, police officials, regulatory bodies, academicians, students, technology solution advisors, and global testing experts.