On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the cancellation of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET).

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, observed that the exam had already been rescheduled for August 21, and any intervention by the Court would only create further uncertainty and chaos.

"Exam was held on June 18 and exam was cancelled on June 19. Exam is now scheduled on August 21 and plea challenges the cancellation of the exam and now 2 months have elapsed. Entertaining the plea at the present stage would only add to uncertainty and add to utter chaos. Devashish Bharuka says 9 lakh will appear for the exam on August 21 and thus at this late stage, cancellation cannot be challenged," the Court noted.

The Court further observed that the government had acted with extra caution following the NEET fiasco, which led to the cancellation of the exam.

"Let this process go on now," it added.

In July, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain a PIL filed by a lawyer challenging the cancellation of the UGC-NET, which was initially scheduled for June by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The Bench dismissed the plea, noting that it was submitted by a lawyer rather than a candidate personally affected by the cancellation. The Court clarified that no candidate impacted by the exam's cancellation would be barred from seeking relief.

The UGC-NET is essential for determining eligibility for research opportunities, including Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), which are crucial for pursuing doctoral programs in India. Although the exam was set for June, it was canceled just before its commencement due to reports of a potential leak in the exam paper, based on certain intelligence inputs.