When Supreme Court Cancelled AIPMT 2015: A Reminder For NEET-UG Integrity Amid Paper Leak Row

New Delhi: As the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the central government face mounting pressure to conduct a re-exam for NEET-UG 2024 following confirmed paper leaks and multiple arrests, it is worth recalling a pivotal Supreme Court decision from 2015. Back then, the apex court ordered the cancellation of the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), underscoring the importance of maintaining the integrity of medical entrance examinations.

In 2015, the AIPMT was conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) before the establishment of the NTA in November 2017. Over 6 lakh candidates appeared for the AIPMT on May 3 at 1,050 centres across India. However, the Supreme Court, recognizing severe irregularities, cancelled the exam on June 15, directing that a re-test be conducted within four weeks.

Justices R K Agrawal and Amitava Roy, presiding over the case, acknowledged the inconvenience and additional time required for conducting a fresh examination. Nonetheless, they emphasized that this was a necessary step to preserve the examination's sanctity and credibility. The re-exam was subsequently held in July 2015.

What Happened in AIPMT 2015?

The cancellation stemmed from petitions highlighting the use of electronic devices by candidates to access answer keys during the exam. The Haryana Police reported to the Supreme Court that while the AIPMT was in progress, they intercepted four suspects in Rohtak, finding vests equipped with micro SIMs and Bluetooth devices. Answer keys were discovered on their phones, confirming that at least 44 candidates benefited from this malpractice.

Despite the CBSE's assurances of taking all necessary precautions, the Supreme Court found the extent of the malpractice too significant to overlook. The CBSE argued that only 44 beneficiaries were identified and that the entire examination process should not be invalidated due to these few cases. They also expressed concerns about delays in the academic session and the feasibility of conducting a fresh examination within the required timeframe.

However, the Supreme Court dismissed these arguments, noting that the true number of beneficiaries could be much higher. The court highlighted that segregating the identified candidates was not a viable solution, as it would undermine the merit and fairness of the examination process. The justices stated that the deliberate breaches in the examination's framework had a deep and pervasive impact that could not be ignored.

CBSE, represented by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, had opposed the petitions seeking cancellation of the test, saying, "6.3 lakh students cannot be made to take the exam afresh when only 44 students have been found involved in taking benefits through unfair means."

"The bigger issue is that the sanctity of the examination is under suspicion. We want to be doubly sure that there is no alternative but to order re-conduct of the exam," adding that it did not want to take a decision “in haste,” the Supreme Court had said. 

NEET-UG Controversy

The NEET-UG controversy is much bigger than the AIPMT 2015 case as it involves paper leaks apart from cheating and impersonation issues. However, the arguments made by NTA and Centre are somewhat similar. The NTA, in its affidavit filed in the court said, that only few candidates benefited from the paper leaks and many of them have been arrested. Stating that the paper leak was not widespread and the data analytics report also suggests that there have been no reports of mass malpractice, cancelling and re conducting NEET is not a good idea. 

In its affidavit, the government also said it will ensure that 23 lakh students are not burdened with a fresh test 'merely based upon unsupported apprehensions.' "The analysis shows that there is neither any indication of mass malpractice nor a localised set of candidates being benefitted leading to abnormal scores," it said, while quoting the findings given by the experts of IIT Madras.

"For any candidate, if it is found that he/she has been the beneficiary of any malpractice, candidature of such person would be cancelled at any stage during the counselling process or even afterwards," the affidavit said. 

The court's ruling emphasized that saving such a compromised examination would harm genuine students and denude the exam of its sanctity. This historical decision in AIPMT 2015 case serves as a crucial reference point in the current NEET-UG 2024 controversy, illustrating the judiciary's stance on maintaining the integrity of competitive exams and the lengths required to ensure fairness and credibility.