SC Directs NTA To Publish NEET-UG 24 Results Masking Students Identity On Its Website

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish city-wise and centre-wise results of NEET-UG 2024 on their website by noon of July 20.

“Results of all students — city-wise and centre-wise — should be uploaded online by Saturday, 12 pm,” said the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud while hearing more than 40 petitions alleging irregularities and malpractices in the conduct of the medical entrance exam.

The NTA has been asked to publish marks of all students of NEET UG 2024 by masking roll numbers in form of ‘dummy roll numbers in a sequence centre-wise’.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested that exam centres should not be revealed, but the court said the centre-wise results would reveal the pattern of the marks. “The fact that there is a leak at Patna and Hazaribag (centres) is admitted…the question papers had been disseminated. We want to ensure whether this was confined to those centres or widespread. Students are at a handicap because they don’t know the results. We want the students’ identity to be masked but let us see centre-wise what was the mark pattern,” the Live Law reported quoting CJI.

Reiterating that it would have to order a retest of NEET if it is proven that tainted cannot be segregated from the rank list, the apex court also sought the Bihar police’s report on the probe into question paper leak. “The CBI probe is on. If what the CBI has told us is revealed, it will affect the investigation and people will become wise,” the CJI said.

The SC, however, refused to stay counselling for now, till Monday. “Counselling will take two three months. It will start on July 24 or so. We will hear on Monday itself,” he added.

The court will resume hearing on the petitions on Monday at 10.30 am.

“We raised all those things in the SC which indicate that the paper has been leaked. The paper has been leaked not just in Hazaribagh and Patna, but in other places also… The court has decided the next day of hearing on Monday. Bihar Police and the government of India have been directed to bring on record the initial investigation report of the Bihar Police. NTA has been instructed to declare the result of all candidates on their website,”  Senior advocate of the petitioner, Narendra Hooda, told ANI.