Amid anticipation that NEET result 2021 may be announced this month, the central government has moved the Supreme Court of India, challenging a Bombay High Court order to hold the exam again for two candidates. The centre said it is unable to declare NEET results, even though it is ready. Delay in the declaration of results will impact the admission process for undergraduate medical courses like MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS, it said.

The Bombay HC had last week directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the NEET exam afresh for two students as they had been handed question papers and answer sheets with incorrect serial numbers.

In NEET, candidates are given question papers and answer sheets with the same codes and same seven-digit serial numbers. But due to a mix-up by invigilators, some students including the petitioners received question papers and answer booklets bearing different codes and serial numbers, the Bombay HC was told.

Advocate Pooja Thorat, appearing for the petitioners said that though the petitioners immediately pointed out the mix-up, the invigilators threatened to report them for “causing a disturbance in the examination hall and committing unfair practice.”

Advocate Rui Rodrigues, who appeared for the NTA, said it was “not possible” to allow the petitioners to reappear for the exam. The judges, however, held that the petitioners “shall not suffer because of the mistake on the part of respondents.”

The Bombay HC bench directed the NTA to hold a “fresh examination for the two petitioners for the academic year 2021-22,” and to declare their results within two weeks.

The central government has now alleged inconsistencies in statements of petitioners. “Bombay HC judgement will set wrong precedent in future for candidates to draw undue advantage from such similar incidents,” it said.