NEET 2024: Delhi HC issues notice to NTA over plea challenging grace marks, alleged paper leak
Delhi High Court
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA) today considering a batch of petitions filed by NEET aspirants who raised the issue of paper leak, awarding compensatory marks and anomaly in question of NEET 2024. A large number of petitions are pending before different High Courts.
According to ANI report, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna has issued notice to NTA and listed the matter on July 5. Advocate Gauhar Mirza and Suriti Chaudhary submitted before the court that there are absolute irregularities.
During the matter, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta appeared and submitted that there are multiple petitions in seven High Courts.
"We are seeking transfer of those petitions to Supreme Court. The court may accommodate the time so we may file transfer petition in the Supreme Court," the SG said.
He also submitted some matters that were listed on July 8 before the Supreme Court. "We (NTA) are in the process of filing of transfer petition," he said.
The counsels for petitioners submitted, "Let them file a reply. That can be treated as reply before the Supreme Court."
The bench noted that there are three broad issues namely Paper leakage, grace/compensatory marks awarded, and anomaly in the questions.
There are petitions that have been filed before the Delhi High Court raising these issues.
Shreyanshi Thakur, Mohd. Florez, Keya Azad, Adarsh Raj Gupta, Anavadya V have moved the Delhi High Court seeking different prayers. They have sought a direction to declare the arbitrary grace marks illegal and award equal marks to all questions to all those who didn't attempt the impugned wrong questions.
NEET UG 2024 Results and Alleged Irregularities:
This year's NEET results shocked many as altogether 67 candidates secured the All India Rank 1 in the examination. Moreover, soon after the reports of a large number of students securing full marks i.e. 720 marks in the exam came to light, the allegations of the NEET paper leak scam started circulating on the social media platforms.
Several X users including doctors and health activists also referred to the NEET marking pattern questioning how some candidates secured 718 or 719 marks in the exam, which seems impossible considering the NEET marking scheme. According to the NEET marking scheme, every candidate is awarded 4 marks for every right answer and 1 mark is deducted for every wrong answer. Therefore, after the full marks i.e. 720, the candidates can only secure 716 marks if they leave one answer unattempted. Similarly, a candidate would get 715 marks if he/she gives one wrong answer.
Concerns were also raised regarding multiple students securing the AIR 1 rank from the same centre. When NTA tried to justify these doubts stating that several candidates were awarded grace marks to compensate for loss of time, further questions were raised. NTA was requested to furnish details about the number of students who were awarded grace marks and the rules that were applied for granting such grace marks to students.
Plea in HC & Supreme Court:
Earlier a plea was filed before the Patna HC seeking a CBI investigation into the irregularities in NEET UG 2024 results. Several pleas have been filed before the Supreme Court as well. The first plea demanded a fresh NEET-UG 2024 examination and a stay on publication of the results. While the Apex Court agreed to consider the matter, it denied granting a stay on the publication of NEET results.
In June itself two more pleas were filed in this connection. The latest of these two, the plea filed on June 9, was filed by by persons hailing from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The petitioners belong to SIO and claimed to work for the benefit of the students. Filing the plea, they have also sought a stay on the NEET-UG 2024 counselling until the completion of the investigation into the alleged question paper leak. They also prayed to the Court to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged malpractices in the conduct of the exam.
It highlighted the alleged arbitrariness of the grant of grace marks. Further referring to the fact that several students secured 718 and 719 marks out of 720 marks, the petitioners have contended that it was "statistically impossible".
Meanwhile, while 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.
Govt Constitutes Panel:
Amid this uproar, NTA informed during the Press Conference on Saturday that the Education Ministry has formed a panel to reassess the results of more than 1,600 students who received grace marks in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 exams.
A former UPSC Chairperson will chair this four-member panel and this committee will examine the potential discrepancies in the undergraduate medical entrance examination.
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