Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah, has approached the Supreme Court over the NEET-UG 2024 conduct, challenging the NTA’s arbitrary awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 candidates. The controversy centers on fairness and transparency issues, amid allegations of a question paper leak and other irregularities.
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NEW DELHI: Recently, Alakh Pandey, the Chief Executive Officer of the prominent EdTech firm Physics Wallah, has escalated a challenge to the Supreme Court regarding the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024. The crux of the controversy involves the alleged arbitrary awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 candidates by the National Testing Agency (NTA). These grace marks were assigned under circumstances that have raised questions about the fairness and transparency of the process, particularly in a testing cycle marred by allegations of a question paper leak and other irregularities.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is a pivotal examination for students aspiring to enter medical fields such as MBBS and BDS. The credibility of this examination was called into question in a recent hearing where the Supreme Court acknowledged the potential compromise to the sanctity of NEET-UG 2024. This acknowledgment came in response to multiple pleas, including one from Pandey, which pointed towards systemic issues in the administration of the test.
Representing Alakh Pandey, advocate J Sai Deepak presented the plea for urgent consideration before a vacation bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah. The bench directed Deepak to formalize the plea through the Supreme Court registry, emphasizing the need for a structured examination of the claims presented.
During the session, Deepak highlighted the distinct nature of Pandey’s petition compared to other submissions.
He stated-
“Several petitions have been submitted to the Court, some filed before the results were declared, alleging a leak of the exam paper. Notices have been issued for those petitions. Our petition, however, addresses a different aspect.”
The specifics of these other petitions revolve largely around the alleged leak and the call for a complete re-examination. However, Pandey’s challenge focuses more narrowly on the procedure followed by the NTA in awarding grace marks—practices that may have skewed the results and impacted the future of thousands of medical aspirants.
The NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is a critical examination for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across India. This year, the examination has been marred by allegations of arbitrary grace marks being awarded, leading to significant discontent among the aspirants.
The primary issue stems from a plea filed on behalf of Alakh Pandey, representing approximately 20,000 students. These students have voiced their concerns over the NTA’s decision to award grace marks to a substantial number of candidates.
“We represent Alakh Pandey, who has gathered signatures from approximately 20,000 students, demonstrating that around 70 to 80 grace marks were randomly awarded to at least 1,500 students. We are challenging this arbitrary awarding of grace marks. The court has indicated that our case will be considered alongside other related cases but has stated that it will not halt the counseling process at this stage.”
-said lawyer Sai Deepak.
The plea challenges the alleged award of grace marks, which was reportedly done to compensate for the loss of time due to various reasons. The specifics of these reasons are yet to be fully disclosed, and the petition is pending listing for hearing.
The NEET-UG 2024 examination was conducted by the NTA on May 5, spanning 4,750 centers with around 24 lakh candidates participating. The results, initially expected on June 14, were unexpectedly declared on June 4, purportedly because the evaluation process concluded ahead of schedule.
One of the key points of contention in the plea is the manner in which the NTA communicated the award of grace marks.
“This clarification arose only after questions were raised about how 718 or 719 out of 720 marks could be awarded, which was technically impossible according to the marking scheme.”
-the plea highlighted.
The petition calls for a thorough investigation into the examination’s conduct by an independent high-powered committee. It questions the basis for adopting the grace marks policy, particularly since the NTA had not implemented such a practice in previous years. The plea demands transparency from the NTA, asking for details of the 1,563 candidates who received compensatory marks, including their original scores, the grace marks awarded, and their revised marks.
The controversy has its roots in a Bihar police probe into an alleged leak of the NEET question paper. The investigation revealed that 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of the NTA, with six of these top scorers coming from a single center in Faridabad, Haryana, raising suspicions of irregularities.
Student protests erupted in Delhi on June 10, with scores of aspirants demanding a probe into these alleged irregularities. The protesters claim that the arbitrary awarding of grace marks significantly contributed to the 67 students sharing the top rank, thereby questioning the examination’s fairness and integrity.
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The Supreme Court, while issuing a notice on a related plea filed by 10 students, including Shivangi Mishra, refused to stay the counselling process for successful candidates. However, it acknowledged the gravity of the matter by tagging the plea with a pending petition and instructing the NTA to file a response.
The court has scheduled further hearings for July 8, after the summer vacation.
