The Supreme Court has rejected a petition challenging the cancellation of the UGC-NET 2024 exam, which was allegedly leaked. The bench, including Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, stated that a similar petition had already been dismissed by the Court.
Court’s Decision
On Monday, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, refused to consider the petition to cancel the UGC-NET 2024 exam. The Court noted that the exam was cancelled almost two months ago and a new exam will soon be conducted. Considering the petition now would only increase uncertainty and chaos.
Previous Petition Rejected
The bench mentioned that a similar public interest litigation (PIL) had already been dismissed. A group of UGC-NET candidates had filed the petition, asking the Supreme Court to stop the decision to conduct a new exam. They argued that the decision to cancel the exam was unfair and arbitrary, given the recent findings from the CBI investigation.
Arguments of the Petitioners
The petitioners argued that cancelling the exam caused significant trouble, anxiety, and wasted resources for the candidates. They claimed that this decision disrupted many students’ academic and professional plans and damaged their trust in the exam system.
Alleged Failures of Justice
The petitioners also claimed that cancelling the exam based on false evidence was a failure of justice and violated the fundamental principles of fairness and equality in the Indian Constitution. They requested a stay on the exam until the CBI investigation was completed and sought immediate investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Reason for Cancellation
On June 19, the Ministry of Education cancelled the UGC-NET 2024 exam, which had been held a day earlier in various cities, due to concerns about irregularities in the exam process.
