On Tuesday, the Supreme Court addressed a petition seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exams due to an alleged paper leak, emphasizing that the "sanctity of the exams has been affected" and that "we need answers." A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah requested a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) but decided against halting the ongoing counselling process for NEET-UG 2024.

Senior Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara urged the Supreme Court to pause the counselling, to which Justice Nath replied, "Let it start. We are not stopping the counselling."

Justice Amanullah added, "It is not that simple. Because you have done it, it is sacrosanct. Sanctity has been affected, so we need answers," addressing the NTA's counsel.

The bench scheduled the next hearing for July 8, stating that if more time is needed for the NTA to respond, the court may consider pausing the counselling process.

Advocate J Sai Deepak, addressing the Supreme Court's notice to the NTA, highlighted that multiple petitions have been filed. Some were submitted before the results were announced, alleging a paper leak. "Notices have been issued regarding those petitions," reported news agency ANI.

Deepak, representing Alakh Pandey, CEO of the educational platform Physics Wallah, noted that their petition is distinct. "Our petition is slightly different. We represent Alakh Pandey, who has collected signatures from about 20,000 students, indicating that close to 70 to 80 marks have been randomly awarded as grace marks to at least 1,500 students. We are challenging the arbitrary award of grace marks," he explained. The court has agreed to consider their petition alongside others, but clarified that the counselling process will not be halted at this stage.