NEET 2024 Row: Delhi HC seeks response from NTA over plea alleging 'Out of Syllabus' question

New Delhi: A plea has been filed before the Delhi High Court alleging that the National Testing Agency (NTA) put 'out of syllabus' question in the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2024 examination.

Agreeing to consider the petition, the Delhi High Court has sought to know the stand of NTA, the agency in charge of conducting the NEET UG examination.

The vacation bench of the High Court comprising granted two weeks’ time to the counsel appearing for the authorities — Centre, NTA and National Medical Commission, to file their response to the petition.

"Learned counsels for respondents No.1 to 3 are present on advance notice and a request is made to grant time to file a short affidavit. Let the same be filed within two weeks from today," said the bench in the order passed on June 24.

Filing the plea, the petitioner claimed that one question in the physics section was based on 'radioactivity' when 'radioactivity topic' was not a part of the syllabus for this year's NEET-UG, PTI has reported.

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The petitioner also alleged a "manifest error" concerning another question for which NTA declared the "incorrect option" as the right answer. He further claimed that although he was a "successful candidate", his overall ranking has been adversely affected due to the errors committed by the NTA.

"It is submitted that irregularities in competitive exams and that too where the examination is being held for preparing a host of future doctors, clearly deserves to be appreciated with utmost seriousness as it not only perpetuates inequalities by favouring the undeserving but while disadvantaging those in whose hands the health of the people of nations will rest in years to come," stated the plea filed through lawyer Sameer Kumar.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 16, 2024.

This year's NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to the 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.