NEET row: "National Testing Agency should be scrapped," says Sitaram Yechury

New Delhi [India], June 21 : Amidst irregularities surrounding the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate 2024 (NEET-UG), CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that National Testing Agency which conducts the NEET-UG examinations should be scrapped as crores of students who are future of India are suffering.
He also called for the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
"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.
"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.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday again declined to stay the process of counselling in the NEET-UG 2024 and has issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the examination.
A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti of the apex court has tagged the fresh pleas along with pending petitions and posted them for hearing on July 8.
On Thursday, the top court issued a notice on a plea filed by the NTA seeking the transfer of petitions relating to the NEET-UG, 2024 examination from the High Courts to the apex court.
A vacation bench has also stayed proceedings before different high courts. The vacation bench was hearing pleas due to allegations of question paper leaks and other malpractices.
The apex court reiterated that it will not stop the counselling process. The Supreme Court has also issued a notice to the Centre and NTA on a petition filed by some students who appeared in the Meghalaya centre for the NEET-UG exam and allegedly lost 45 minutes and prayed they should be a part of the 1563 students who got grace marks and were given the option to appear for re-exam on June 23.
The Supreme Court has posted the pleas for hearing on July 8.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam was conducted on May 5 and its results were declared on June 4, ahead of its scheduled announcement date of June 14.
Protests were held alleging irregularities and paper leaks as the results showed that as many as 67 students had topped the exam with a perfect score of 720. Petitions have been filed in courts by students seeking a re-test.
The Supreme Court has allowed are-test of over 1,500 students who were awarded "grace marks."
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), paves the way for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1563 candidates who were awarded "grace marks" in the NEET-UG 2024 exam would be cancelled and these candidates would have an option to reappear for the exam on June 23, the results of which will be declared before June 30, or forgo the compensatory marks given for the loss of time.