NEET row: 'Education minister Pradhan should resign, NTA scrapped,' says Sitaram Yechury

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has called for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA) due to irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate 2024 (NEET-UG).
These issues have allegedly caused significant suffering to millions of students in India.The Supreme Court has refused to halt the NEET-UG 2024 counselling process, despite allegations of paper leaks and other malpractice, scheduling further hearings for July 8.
"If he (Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan) is taking moral responsibility, we have heard in politics that people who take moral responsibility resign from their posts. But he is doing nothing of that sort... It is clear that papers are being leaked, they are being sold. This is a kind of commercialisation that is happening," Yechury told ANI.
The Supreme Court has also issued a notice to the NTA and has tagged fresh pleas along with pending petitions regarding NEET-UG 2024. This comes after the NTA filed a plea seeking the transfer of related petitions from High Courts to the apex court. A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti has stayed proceedings in different high courts, emphasizing that the counselling process will not be stopped.
"Crores of our students are suffering because of this. They are the future of India. And this government is completely responsible... National Testing Agency should be scrapped...," Yechury added.
Some students who appeared in the Meghalaya centre for the NEET-UG exam have filed petitions, claiming they lost 45 minutes during the exam. These students have requested inclusion in the group of 1,563 students who were awarded grace marks and offered a re-exam on June 23. The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and NTA regarding these petitions, which are also set for a hearing on July 8.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam took place on May 5, with results announced on June 4, ahead of the initially planned date of June 14. The exam saw significant controversy, including allegations of irregularities and paper leaks. Protests erupted after it was revealed that 67 students had achieved a perfect score of 720. These controversies have led to multiple court petitions demanding a re-test.
A vacation bench reiterated the court's stance against halting the counselling process. The Supreme Court has permitted a re-test for over 1,500 students who had been awarded grace marks. The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency, plays a crucial role in admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across India.
On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of the 1,563 candidates awarded grace marks in the NEET-UG 2024 exam would be cancelled. These candidates were given the option to reappear for the exam on June 23, with results to be declared before June 30, or to forgo the compensatory marks provided for their loss of time.
In response, the Supreme Court has scheduled further hearings for these matters on July 8, maintaining its position on continuing the counselling process while addressing the petitions and grievances presented by the affected students.
The ongoing controversy underscores the broader concerns about the integrity of the NEET-UG exam and the functioning of the National Testing Agency, highlighting calls for systemic reforms to protect the future of aspiring medical students in India.