NEET 2024 Results Row: Toppers not from certain centres, High scores mainly due to syllabus reduction, NTA tells SC
New Delhi: In its recent affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has denied the allegations that the students scoring high marks in the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 exam were from certain centres.
Terming such allegations to be "unsubstantiated", NTA has cited an analysis of the top 100 candidates's results. Referring to their marksheets, NTA submitted that the top results were distributed across 95 centres located in 56 cities.
According to NTA, the major factor that played a role of so many candidates scoring full marks was a reduction in the syllabus for the undergraduate medical entrance test.
"This diverse distribution highlights the widespread participation and competitive spirit among students from different regions and educational backgrounds," NTA submitted.
"The most prominent factor in 61 candidates scoring 720/720 is due to the reduction in the syllabus, which was done to enable the candidates to focus on the core concepts and to alleviate pressure on students who faced challenges in completing their studies due to pandemic in 2019-20," it added in the affidavit.
Apart from this, NTA in its affidavit, also highlighted that the number of candidates appearing for the exam has increased to 23,33,297, compared to 20,38,596 last year. Referring to this, NTA submitted that the increase in the number of candidates appearing in the exam was one of the many factors responsible for the high percentile among the students.
"Therefore, the mark interval is nominal and only due to an increase in the number of candidates. In this regard, a comparative analysis has been made in the form of graphical representations to show that the candidate counts of both the years, against the mark's interval is nominal and only due to the increase in the candidate count," the Agency submitted, Live Law has reported.
NTA further referred to another factor, i.e., a reduction in the syllabus, which was done so that the candidates could focus on the core concepts. Another reason for this syllabus reduction was that it would alleviate pressure on the students facing challenges due to the pandemic in 2019-2020.
"The syllabus was reduced by approximately 22-25% compared to last year, removing difficult and time- consuming chapters like P Block in chemistry and conceptual chapters in biology. It is submitted that this reduction significantly lessened the burden of studies on students, focusing on a more concise syllabus, which benefited the candidates in preparing for the examination effectively and comprehensively," NTA submitted.
Further, NTA also submitted that the question papers were based on universally used books. This was done to ensure a reduced reliance on the coaching institutions.
"Though the syllabus was reduced, the time remained the same and so did the choice of questions in Section B of each subject in the Question paper. Therefore, the candidates appearing in NEET (UG) 2024 were administered a QP which was balanced, based out of a reduced syllabus and was to be attempted in 03 hrs 20 minutes," NTA submitted.
According to the agency, the increase in the cut-off marks in 2024 NEET-UG exam reflected the competitive nature of the examination and higher performance standards achieved by the candidates.
Filing this affidavit, NTA opposed the pleas filed before the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The same affidavit has also been filed in the case filed by the petitioner Vanshika Yadav as well. In that plea, the petitioner urged the Court to conduct the NEET UG exams afresh considering the alleged malpractices and paper leak of the exam.
Even though previously the Supreme Court bench comprising the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued notice on the plea and posted the matter for further hearing in July, the Apex Court bench stated that the results of the exams held on a pan-India basis could not be stayed.
Meanwhile, the Union Government also filed an affidavit before Supreme Court on Friday in the NEET issue and opposed the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The Central Government said that it would not be rational to scrap the entire exam in the absence of any proof of a large-scape breach of confidentiality.
"Scrapping the exam in its entirety would seriously jeopardise the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted the question paper in 2024," the Union Ministry of Education stated in its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court.
"In the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared," the affidavit further stated, Hindustan Times has reported.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that filing an affidavit, NTA also told the Supreme Court that the cancellation of the controversy-ridden NEET 2024 examination would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of those who cleared it.
"The cancellation of the entire examination on the basis of the aforesaid factor, would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates," NTA said.
Meanwhile, several pleas alleging discrepancies and paper leak in the NEET UG 2024 exam are scheduled for a hearing before the Supreme Court on Monday i.e. 8th July, 2024. Even though, the Apex Court had denied postponing the NEET UG 2024 counselling, the counselling that was scheduled to commence from 6th July 2024 has been deferred.
This year's NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to light. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.
Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange for giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.
Multiple pleas have been filed before the High Courts and the Supreme Court seeking an investigation into the alleged paper leak scam. Some of the pleas demanded the scrapping of the NEET UG 2024 exam and holding a retest.
Meanwhile, during the case proceedings, NTA earlier decided to withdraw the grace marks awarded to 1563 candidates and hold an optional retest for those candidates. Those who did not opt for the retest were allowed to retain their original marks, without the grace marks.
The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Central Government on June 22, 2024, handed over the charge of investigating in the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Earlier, while considering the NEET-related pleas, the Supreme Court had refused to defer the counselling/seat allotment process scheduled to commence on July 6. However, the bench had orally observed that the admissions would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions and if the exams were set aside, the counselling would get invalidated consequentially.
The Top Court had also expressed its concern over the alleged discrepancies in the NEET UG 2024 exam. The Court had noted that even '0.001& negligence' in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exams would be looked into with all seriousness considering the immense labor put in by the candidates for the prestigious examination.
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