NEW DELHI: Delhi HC has directed National Testing Agency (NTA) to declare within 24 hours the NEET-UG re-examination results of two candidates, whose results were withheld over allegations linking them to the question paper leak.

Justice Jasmeet Singh pointed out the candidates had not been named as accused by CBI in its chargesheet.While CBI told the court that it did not make them accused, though they had paid money to get question papers, the judge observed that at this stage, it was just an allegation and "therefore, the petitioners cannot be treated as persons against whom criminal culpability has been established or as having been found guilty of any illegality".The court was hearing the students' plea seeking release of their re-NEET results and permission to participate in the ongoing counselling. The CBI chargesheet named the two petitioners as witnesses, and not accused. NTA, however, issued show-cause notices to them and withheld their results.During the hearing, NTA submitted that it withheld the results after CBI informed it that several candidates had allegedly received or shared the question paper of the May 3 examination.

On its part, CBI submitted that the petitioners had received the question paper and had the "mens rea" (intent) to commit the illegality, since money had been paid by them for obtaining the question paper.HC observed that the petitioners were at a "nascent stage of their academic careers", and withholding their results merely on the basis of allegations that were yet to be tested would cause serious prejudice to them.

"The petitioners ought to be permitted to know their results and, subject to the outcome of the proceedings, participate in the further rounds of counseling conducted by the NTA," Justice Singh said. The order recorded denying them an opportunity to participate in counselling at this stage could result in consequences that may not subsequently be adequately remedied.