NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Friday, while maintaining that there was no systematic breach to cancel the NEET-UG examination, directed a slew of measures to be taken to ensure an unbiased, impartial and robust system for a full proof and transparent exam.

A bench of the top court, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud passed the judgement on Friday.

The top court directed to ensure rigorous checks from making question papers to the point of being checked, streamline an SOP to check handling, storage etc, enhance identity checks at various stages, technological innovations to check impersonation and take into account privacy law.

“The NTA must avoid the flip-flops, it made in relation to the NEET-UG 2024 exam. Such flip-flops in a national exam do not serve the interests of the students,” the CJI reading out the verdict said.

Widening the scope and ambit of the K Radhakrishnan expert committee constituted by the government to look into the NEET-UG paper leak and other irregularities, the top court said, the committee should encompass seven steps to have a robust exam process.

 These are –

 1) Evaluation committee

 2) Standard Operating Procedure

 3) Review the process of allocating exam centres

 4) Processes for enhanced identity checks

 5) CCTV monitoring of exam centres

 6) Secure logistic providers for ensuring non-tempering of papers

7) recommend a robust grievance redressal mechanism

“The viability of using closed vehicles with real time locks rather than open e-rickshaws should be considered,” the CJI said.

The aim of the entire process or conducting these exercises was to deter and detect any malpractice in the exam.

Pointing out that the expert committee must rectify the deficiencies in the exam system, the apex court said that if any student has any kind of personal grievance not related to the issues resolved in the judgement, they would be free to move the respective High Courts.

The apex court also reiterated that it had concluded that there was no systemic breach of the papers. The leak was only limited to Patna and Hazaribagh. The counselling had already started from July 24.

The Supreme Court in its order on July 23, while refusing to cancel the NEET-UG exam, observed that there is no data to suggest a “systemic breach” or that the “sanctity” of the examination, following two localised leaks of the question papers.

The CJI, while dictating the order, on July 23, however, said that there is no dispute about the papers being leaked in Hazaribagh and at Patna. Also, following the transfer of the investigation to the CBI, the probe agency has filed its status reports on July 10.

The apex court pronounced the order after hearing a batch of petitions filed by students, who alleged malpractices and other irregularities in the exam. The hearing took place for four days from petitioners, respondents – Centre, NTA – and other parties in the case.