On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by a lawyer challenging the cancellation of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), which was originally scheduled for June by the National Testing Agency (NTA). A bench consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, dismissed the plea, noting that it was filed by a lawyer rather than a candidate directly affected by the exam's cancellation.
"What is your locus? Are you appearing for UGC NET? You are a member of the Bar! ... Occupy your time with some substantive matter. Not file a plea just after reading something in newspapers," CJI Chandrachud observed when the plea was taken up today.
"I have representations from hundreds of students who are affected," the petitioner's counsel replied.
The Court, however, was not impressed.
"Of course, let them come. Not you," the CJI retorted.
he Court made it clear that its dismissal of the plea would not prevent any candidate affected by the cancellation of exam from seeking relief.
"While dismissing the plea, we note that we have not foreclosed the right of any affected candidate to approach the Court. Dismissed," the Bench said.
The UGC-NET determines the eligibility of candidates for research opportunities, including Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), which are essential for pursuing doctoral programs in India.
The exam, administered by the NTA, was initially scheduled for June this year. However, it was canceled shortly before it was set to begin, reportedly due to intelligence inputs indicating a paper leak.
The UGC-NET has now been rescheduled to take place in August.
This development occurred shortly after controversy arose over irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical college admissions, also organized by the NTA.
Recently, the Supreme Court declined to order a reexamination for the NEET undergraduate exam.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is still investigating the NEET case.
TAGS: Supreme court NET UGC examinations PIL CBI
