Supreme Court Cancels CBSE Medical Entrance Test, Orders Fresh Exam Within 4 Weeks

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court has scrapped the All-India Pre-Medical Test for admission to undergraduate medical courses this year after the question paper was leaked. The top court has also ordered the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to conduct fresh exams within four weeks.

The order came on a clutch of petitions, including by students, seeking a re-examination, contending that the integrity of the test had been compromised. The results of the test were to be declared on June 5.

“We worked hard for this case. This is not a victory for students only, but for the medical profession,” said Pushp Gupta, a lawyer for one of the petitioners.

The top court today also directed all institutions to extend cooperation in conducting fresh exams.

Last week, the petitioners had sought cancellation of the exam, citing a report by the Haryana Police which said that 44 beneficiaries of the leak had already been identified. The report also said that number was likely to go up. The police suspect there are around 700 students who benefitted from the paper leak.

But the CBSE opposed a re-examination, saying, “6.3 lakh students cannot be made to take the exam afresh when only 44 students have been found involved in taking benefits through unfair means”.

The top court observed that even a single entry through “illegal” means would “vitiate” the “sanctity” of the test.

Around 6.3 lakh students appeared for the exam; 3,722 would have got admission into medical colleges across India.