The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to clarify whether there is a specific time limit for raising grievances about the OMR sheets provided to NEET-UG 2024 candidates. A vacation bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti issued notice to the NTA in response to a new petition filed by a private coaching centre and several NEET candidates. The bench scheduled the hearing for July 8 and consolidated the petition with other pending cases.

Representing the coaching institute and candidates, senior advocate R Basant noted that some students who took the exam had not received their OMR sheets. Initially, the bench questioned the locus of a private coaching institute filing an Article 32 petition in the Supreme Court and its impact on fundamental rights.

The NTA’s counsel informed the court that the OMR sheets had been uploaded on the website and provided to candidates. When asked about the grievance time limit for OMR sheets, the NTA counsel requested time to respond and proposed to submit a brief reply before the next hearing.

Basant highlighted the absence of a formal procedure or deadline for raising grievances, advocating for interim relief in the form of granting OMR sheets to candidates. The bench subsequently issued notice, integrated the petition with ongoing matters, and instructed the NTA counsel to furnish a concise written response regarding the time limit query.

Earlier, on June 20, the Supreme Court had sought responses from the Centre, NTA, and others on multiple petitions related to NEET-UG 2024, including calls for its cancellation and a court-monitored investigation amidst allegations of irregularities. The court had expressed readiness to address any negligence in exam conduct, scheduling a comprehensive hearing for July 8.

NEET-UG, managed by the NTA, determines admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other medical courses across India’s government and private institutions.

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