The NEET UG controversy involves various court PILs challenging the exam’s fairness and transparency. In response, a high-level committee has been established to address these concerns. This development aims to ensure the examination’s integrity and address stakeholders’ grievances. The next steps will focus on the committee’s recommendations and potential reforms to the NEET UG process.
The NEET UG 2024 examination has been a topic of significant discussion and controversy in recent days, with a resolution to the issue still pending. In a new development, a NEET applicant from Andhra Pradesh filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the decision of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to award grace marks to students who participated in the examination.
The Writ Petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by Jaripate Karthik takes issue with the NTA’s action of granting grace marks to 1,536 candidates on the grounds of ‘loss of time’. The petitioner sought to challenge this decision made by the NTA.
The counsels for the petitioner requested an early listing of the matter in court.
Read Also: NEET-UG 2024 Paper Leak | Medical Aspirants Move Supreme Court Seeking NEET-UG Re-exam
Additionally, another petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking a recall of the NEET-UG 2024 results and a fresh round of examinations.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, from 2 pm to 5.20 pm IST. The exam held across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, with over 24 lakh candidates appearing for it.
The controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam centers around an alleged paper leak case and a subsequent decision to compensate 1,563 students for the loss of time during the exam. Students from at least six centers in states including Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Surat, and Chandigarh had complained about the loss of time during the exam.
The NTA officials stated that the students at certain centers could not complete the full 3 hours and 20 minutes of the exam due to administrative issues. These included the distribution of the wrong question paper, torn OMR sheets, or delays in the distribution of OMR sheets.
The NEET-UG 2024 results, announced on June 4, 2024, sparked a significant uproar, with numerous aspirants and parents demanding a probe and a “re-exam.” They alleged that the paper leaked at certain centers, leading to high scores for some students.
Apart from the latest petition filed in the Supreme Court, several other NEET aspirants also approached high courts and the Supreme Court with similar concerns in the wake of the controversy. For instance, a group of candidates recently moved the Supreme Court, seeking a fresh conduct of the examination. In their plea, the petitioners alleged that the NEET-UG test held on May 5 disturbed by malpractices, as various instances of paper leaks had come to light.
The case scheduled for its next hearing on July 8.
On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court sought a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG exams. Meanwhile, a separate plea filed in the Delhi High Court, challenging the NTA’s decision to award grace marks in these exams.
Political leaders, particularly from the opposition, quickly criticized the central government, calling for a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
On June 7, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the Modi government over the alleged NEET exam irregularities, demanding that the “legitimate complaints” of students be addressed through a thorough investigation. In a post on X, she wrote,
“Why is the government ignoring the voice of lakhs of students? Students want answers to legitimate questions related to the rigging in the NEET exam results.”
Additionally, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned,
“Is it not the government’s responsibility to resolve these ‘legitimate complaints’ by conducting an investigation?”
Following Priyanka Gandhi, her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp critique of the Modi government, pledging to be the voice of the students in Parliament and to raise this issue as soon as possible.
In a Twitter post written in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi claimed that even before Narendra Modi had taken his oath as Prime Minister, the NEET exam scam had already affected over 24 lakh students and their families. He wrote,
“Six students from the same exam centre top the exam with maximum marks, many receive marks that are technically impossible, yet the government continuously denies the possibility of a paper leak.”
Reactions from various leaders have been swift and pointed. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal criticized the BJP, accusing it of
“Completely mishandling the NEET examinations and jeopardizing the future of medical aspirants.”
He also addressed a letter to K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, requesting a thorough investigation into the irregularities of the NEET-UG Exam 2024 conducted by the NTA.
Similarly, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Jasmine Shah called for a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG. He emphasized that the issue is of great importance as it affects the future of the nation’s youth. Shah further criticized the BJP, stating that while the party claims it will make India a “Vishwaguru,” it is failing to conduct a proper entrance examination.
On June 7, the National Testing Agency (NTA) released an official statement asserting that there was no instance of a paper leak, and the integrity of the examination remained intact. The NTA addressed the concerns and questions raised by the candidates who took the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
According to the press release,
“Out of the 67 candidates who scored 720/720 marks, 44 achieved this due to a revision in one Physics answer key, and six received compensatory marks for the loss of time.”
The NTA further clarified that the loss of examination time verified for candidates who had filed writ petitions in the High Courts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh. The agency explained that the loss of time was compensated with marks based on each candidate’s answering efficiency and the time lost, following a predefined mechanism.
The NTA stated,
“The revised scores of such candidates range from -20 to 720 marks. Among these, two candidates received scores of 718 and 719 marks respectively due to the compensatory marks,”
Amid widespread outrage, the Ministry of Education convened an official press conference on June 8 to address the growing concerns of students and stakeholders about the NEET UG 2024 results.
During the conference, Subodh Kumar Singh, Director General of the NTA, announced that the ministry had established a four-member panel to review the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam.
He said,
“The committee will submit a report within a week, and a decision will be made accordingly,”
The committee headed by a former UPSC chairman, as informed by the DG NTA. Singh further assured that “the integrity of the exam was not compromised,” emphasizing that out of 24 lakh students, the issue affected only 1,600 candidates.
While an immediate resolution appears unlikely, the outcome now hinges on the high-level committee’s report, which is expected within a week. Questions remain: Will the NTA conduct the exam again, or will there be a revision of the existing results? Only time will tell.