The Supreme Court of India has refused pleas seeking changes to the composition or functioning of the Higher-Powered Evaluation Committee (HPEC), which was constituted to address grievances related to the re-evaluation of NEET-UG answer sheets. The court made it clear that any demands for restructuring the panel must wait until the ongoing investigation into police conduct during student protests is completed.
The court expressed strong disapproval of the fact that some petitioners began criticising the HPEC even before the committee had officially commenced its work. A bench noted with concern that the disparagement of the body started almost immediately after its formation, rather than allowing the process to unfold.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency, saw widespread protests across several states after students alleged irregularities in answer paper evaluation and score discrepancies. During these protests, numerous students reported being injured by pellet guns fired by police forces in multiple cities.
The Supreme Court had previously constituted the HPEC to independently review cases raised by students who claimed anomalies in their answer sheet re-checking. However, parallel to these educational concerns, the court has been monitoring the law-and-order dimension of the protests, including the use of pellet ammunition against demonstrators.
Legal sources indicate the court views the probe into police excesses as a more pressing matter requiring immediate attention, while the HPEC evaluation can proceed on its own timeline without judicial interference. The decision underscores the court's intent to ensure accountability on the protest-related violence before entertaining structural changes to the evaluation mechanism.
