A petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court requesting the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The petition also seeks a thorough investigation into the reported irregularities during the test conducted on May 5, under the supervision of the Supreme Court or another impartial investigative body like the CBI.

Filed by 20 students who participated in the medical entrance exam, the petition also requests that the National Testing Agency (NTA) and related parties be instructed to organize a fresh examination.

During a recent session addressing multiple petitions concerning the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)-2024, the Supreme Court sought replies from the Centre and the NTA regarding a request for a CBI investigation into allegations of question paper leaks and other exam irregularities.

The new plea argued that due to "widespread irregularities and fraudulent practices," a re-examination is necessary to ensure that only deserving students are shortlisted for admission to medical institutions.

"Because the sanctity of the examination is questionable in view of the confirmed cases of leakage of question paper, with respect to which FIRs have been lodged and several persons have been arrested, as per the media reports," the plea, drawn by advocate Dheeraj Singh, said.

The plea highlighted that the results announced by the NTA revealed 67 candidates had achieved the maximum possible score of 720 out of 720. It further noted a remarkable increase of over 400 percent in the number of students scoring between 620 and 720 marks, raising concerns about the integrity of the examination process.

"The aforesaid material irregularities are required to be investigated thoroughly by CBI or by any other independent agency or committee under the supervision of this court so as to do justice to the large number of meritorious students whose claims have been defeated by systemic failure to ensure conduct of fair examination," it said.

The plea has requested the court to direct a court-appointed committee or another independent agency to conduct a comprehensive "post-exam analysis," including academic background checks, forensic analysis, and investigations of all candidates who scored 620 and above, under the court's supervision.

Additionally, it seeks directives for the NTA and other relevant authorities to implement effective measures to ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process. This includes addressing concerns related to alleged fraudulent practices, question paper leaks, impersonation, and other unfair means in future NEET-UG exams.

On Thursday, the Centre and the NTA informed the Supreme Court that they had rescinded the grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and similar courses. These candidates will have the option to either retake the test or forgo the compensatory marks previously granted to them for the loss of time, as stated by the Centre.