Plea To Cancel NEET-UG 24 : Paper Leak Happened Before May 4th, Says CJI; Live Updates From Supreme Court [July 22]

Hooda : It is not some peon went to the paper room and gave it to some 5-10 students. It was handiwork of a gang who have done it in past too. Sanjeev Mukhya and all have not been arrested.

Hooda : Their suggestion that it happened on the 5th morning is hard to believe and contrary to the reports of the Bihar police.

Hooda : Leak happened prior to the deposit of the question papers with the respective banks. That is 3rd of May or prior to that.

Hooda : We have submitted a note on the basis of data. They admit paper leak, they admit dissemination happened on WhatsApp. Bihar police materials indicate that students were given leaked papers on 4th. Leak did not happen on the morning of May 5 as was suggested.

CJI : What emerges from the centre-wise and city-wise data?

Hooda : The question paper was being ferried in an e-rickshaw I submitted. They said it was OMR sheets. 

CJI : Question paper was being ferried in an e-rickswah, there is no doubt about that. But they say the photograph is of OMR sheet. Ferrying of paper in e-rickswah is established.

Hooda : NTA has published the results. They have not given All India Rank, they have not given the seriatum of the exam centres. They have given centre-wise and city-wise. They have withheld All India Rank and serial number of the exam centres.

Court starts taking the #NEET matters.

One counsel intervenes. CJI refuses to hear him, says Sr Adv Narender Hooda will continue and asks him to wait for his turn.

NTA files an additional affidavit.

NTA refutes petitioners’ allegation of conflict of interest on the part of IIT-M Director, who prepared the data analytics report.

NTA says Director of the IIT holding JEE(Advanced) in a particular year is an ex-officio member of the NTA Governing Body. IIT-M holds JEE(A) for 2024.

However, core functions of the NTA are carried out by the Managing Committee of the NTA. Governing Body has role only on policy matters.

In any case, the said IIT-Director had nominated another professor to attend the Governing Body meetings and the nominee attended the last meeting in December 2023.

The IIT Director who made the report hasn’t attended any NTA General Body meeting after December 2022.