The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that there was absence of sufficient material indicative of any widespread breach of sanctity in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 that could justify cancelling the exam. The top court, however, pointed out the “flip-flops” of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024 and asked the Centre’s high-level committee to review the Agency’s operations and recommend reforms.

“The Centre has to restructure the whole process of NEET through the high-powered committee. It has to see to it that we do not have further such examples in the future,” Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud told the Centre and NTA, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

“The NTA must avoid the flip-flops it has done in this case. These flip-flops of the NTA do not serve the interests of the students,” the CJI said.

The court expressed “serious concerns” about how the NTA conducted the examination this year. In its detailed order, a three-judge Bench led by the CJI highlighted multiple issues in the conduct of the exam.

“It is no excuse to say that the exam is conducted in myriad centres or that a large number of aspirants appear for the exam. NTA has sufficient resources at its disposal. It has adequate funding, time, and opportunities to organise exams such as NEET without lapses of the kind that occurred this year,” the Bench said.

It added that a body such as the NTA, which is entrusted with immense responsibility in relation to highly important competitive exams, cannot afford to misstep, take an incorrect decision, and amend it at a later stage.

“All decisions must be well-considered, with due regard to the importance of the decision… flip-flops are an anathema to fairness,” the Bench said.

To address the structural flaws in the conduct of the exam, the apex court expanded the remit of the Centre’s high-level committee, constituted last month, to consider developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) incorporating technological advancements.

“By identifying and rectifying vulnerabilities, such a committee will help restore trust in the examination system and implement robust safeguards to prevent future malpractice,” the top court explained.

It also ordered the committee to review and recommend updates to the NTA’s policies and SOPs to align with the best practices, ensuring the Agency is prepared to tackle evolving challenges in examination security.

Given the expanded scope of the committee's work, the apex court extended the deadline for the submission of its report to the Union Ministry of Education from August 22, as initially set by the Centre, to September 30.

The order comes after the Supreme Court had dismissed pleas seeking cancellation and re-test of the controversy-ridden medical entrance exam in its interim order last month.

The demand for cancellation of the exam was made following allegations of malpractices, mass question paper leaks, and cheating in this year’s NEET-UG taken by over 2.3 million candidates for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses.