The
Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL challenging the government's
decision to cancel the UGC-NET examination following alleged question paper
leak.
A
bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and
Manoj Misra, however, said the dismissal of the PIL does not amount to a
decision on the merits of the PIL as it was filed by a lawyer and not by
aggrieved students.
"Why are you (lawyer) coming? Let the students
come here themselves," the CJI told the lawyer, adding "while
declining the above PIL, we express nothing on merits".
The
bench asked advocate Ujjawal Gaur, who has filed the PIL as a petitioner, to
focus on some legal matters and leave such issues for aggrieved persons.
The
plea was filed against the decision of the Union education ministry and the
National Testing Agency to cancel the UGC-NET exam following inputs that its
integrity may have been compromised.
The
ministry on June 19 had ordered the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam and handed
over the matter to the CBI for an investigation.
In the plea, Gaur also sought a direction to
immediately stay the proposed re-examination of the UGC-NET exam until the CBI
completes its inquiry into the paper leak allegations.
"The
petitioner asserts that the decision is not only arbitrary but also unjust,
given the recent findings of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"The
CBI's investigation brings the fact that the evidence suggesting the paper leak
is doctored, thus nullifying the grounds on which the cancellation was
based," the plea, filed through advocate Rohit Pandey, said.
The
petitioner submitted that the "unwarranted" cancellation of the exam
has caused significant distress, anxiety, and an unnecessary expenditure of
resources for the aspirants who have rigorously prepared for this crucial
examination.