The Supreme Court issued a cautious advisory to several petitioners seeking a re-test of the May 5 NEET-UG exam. The results, released last month, have been marred by controversies such as leaked question papers and the allocation of 'grace marks' to 1,563 students.

The court said certain circumstances - including "(if) the time lag between the leak and actual exam is limited" - would argue against a re-test. "If students were asked to memorise (the leaked questions) on the morning of the exam then the leak might not have been so widespread..."

The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, expressed reluctance to order a re-test for nearly 24 lakh students, citing concerns about the financial burden on students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who may struggle to afford travel expenses to exam centers. The court emphasized that a re-test should be considered only as a last resort.

"One thing is clear... questions were leaked. The sanctity of the exam has been compromised... this is beyond doubt. Now we have to establish the extent of the leak," the Chief Justice said, "We have to be careful while ordering a re-test. We are dealing with the careers of lakhs of students."