NEET-UG Counselling Deferred, Cong Says Youth’s Future In ‘Unsafe Hands’

New Delhi: Even as the Supreme Court refused to delay the counselling for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET UG, the same was deferred until further notice on Saturday. Earlier, the counselling was scheduled to be held on July 6.

The exam authorities are yet to announce the new date for the counselling.

According to an India Today TV report, the authorities wanted to wait for a court hearing in the case, scheduled on July 8. The NEET-UG—conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)—is mandatory for entrance into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in the government and private institutions across the country.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, wrote on X: “The whole NEET-UG issue is getting worse by the day. The non-biological PM and his biological Education Minister are adding further proof to their demonstrated incompetence and insensitivity. The future of lakhs of our youth is simply unsafe in their hands.”

The NTA has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the scrapping of the entire examination, citing that the irregularities were found only in the Patna and Godhra centres and thus the examination shouldn’t be completely cancelled based on the sporadic instances. The irregularities and allegations of paper leak are being investigated by the CBI.

The Union Education Ministry had also filed a separate affidavit opposing the petitions seeking complete cancellation of the examination.

When 67 students scored a perfect 720 with six from a centre in Faridabad, it raised suspicions about irregularities. The results were announced on June 4.