Alleged Irregularities in NEET 2024 results: Calcutta HC seeks response from NTA

Kolkata: Considering a plea alleging various irregularities in the NEET 2024 examination, the Calcutta High Court has ordered the National Testing Agency (NTA) to file an affidavit within 10 days in response.

Issuing the notice to the agency, in charge of conducting NEET, a Division Bench presided over by Justice Apurba Sinha Ray also asked the NTA to disclose in its affidavit as to how the reservation policy of the State as well as the Central Government has been followed in preparing the merit list.

The Bench, also comprising Justice Kausik Chanda, took note of the submission made by the petitioner that some of the candidates could not have scored 718 or 719 as per the applicable marking system.

The PIL filed by advocate Tanmoy Chattopadhyay, in his personal capacity, said that there were “glaring discrepancies” in NEET (UG) results published on June 4 and the students community at large is today at the risk of being deprived of their legitimate claim to admission, adds IANS report.

It appears that the National Testing Agency sought to justify awarding of such marks based on a judgment passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil) No.600 of 2018 (Akshat Aggarwal & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.), the bench noted.

The plea said that NTA sought to justify the illegalities by giving grace marks to certain candidates who made representations regarding loss of time during the conduct of examination based on a 2013 judgment of the Supreme Court which has got “no relation whatsoever with the case at hand and it was in respect of a fact situation in CLAT 2018 and the said judgment has no relevance in respect of the NEET(UG) 2024.”

In its order, the High Court said, “The National Testing Agency sought to justify awarding of such marks based on a judgment passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Justification of such an exercise cannot be decided without an affidavit from the National Testing Agency.”

Accordingly, the Court called on the NTA to file an affidavit within ten days from date in response to the allegations made in the writ petition.

"The affidavit should also disclose how the reservation policy of the State as well as the Central Government has been followed in preparing the merit list. List this matter after two weeks under the same heading before the Regular Bench. The National Testing Agency shall preserve the records pertaining to the NEET (UG) 2024 Examination until further order of this Court. The outcome of the counselling process shall abide by the result of the writ petition," the Court stated.

to view the order, click on the link below: