NEET UG 2024 row: SC verdict proves issues in exam, says Alakh Pandey

The Supreme Court acknowledged that the sanctity of NEET exam has been violated and has sought a response from the National Testing Agency

On the Supreme Court’s verdict on NEET-UG 2024 exam on Tuesday, Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah said that the verdict indicated the integrity of the examination had been compromised, suggesting an acknowledgement of issues within the examination process. 

“There was a hearing of the case particularly listed before the results. Here the students were demanding justification on the grounds of the paper leak only but not about the grace marks or anything else, because it was listed on 1st June before the results. For today’s listing, the Supreme Court said that the sanctity of the exam is compromised which means somewhere they also feel that there have been some kind of issues in the examination and asked NTA to answer this before July8.  Still they have not given any relief on the counselling,” he told news agency ANI.

Read More: NEET-UG 2024: SC refuses to stay counselling process amid 'grace marks' row

Informing on his different Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Pandey said that their case represents a larger number of issues in the NEET UG 2024 result. “Our PIL will be listed tomorrow. It is regarding the paper leak as well as grace marks, the transparencies of NTA and everything else,” he said.

 

The SC on June 11 declined to stop the counselling process for admissions to medical colleges despite allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in the 2024 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG). 

The Court scheduled the matter for consideration on July 8 and sought a response from the National Testing Agency (NTA). It firmly stated, “We will not stop the counselling. If you argue further, we will dismiss this.”

These developments unfolded amidst allegations of the NTA’s improper application of a ‘normalisation formula’ to award grace marks in this year’s NEET exam. A writ petition accusing the NTA of ‘marks inflation’ prompted the agency to establish a committee to review the grace marks awarded to NEET-UG 2024 candidates.

The NTA conducted the NEET exam for undergraduate medical program admissions on May 5. The provisional answer key was released on May 29, followed by the final answer key on June 4.

What is the NEET-UG 2024 row?

A significant political controversy has arisen following the release of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination results for this year on June 4. The announcement immediately drew the attention of numerous students who expressed concerns regarding inconsistencies in the allocation of marks.

They claimed that the inflation of marks led to an unprecedented scenario where 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720/720, securing the top rank. Notably, six of these top scorers are from the same examination centre in Haryana.

The NTA, responsible for conducting this competitive examination for admission to medical and dental courses in both government and private colleges, has refuted these allegations. It attributed the higher marks to changes in NCERT textbooks, a comparatively easier exam, increased registrations, a question with multiple correct answers, and the awarding of grace marks due to reported time loss at examination centres.