Doctors allege Discrepancies in NEET PG Score, Supreme Court Issues Notice
New Delhi: While considering a plea alleging serious instances of discrepancies in the NEET PG 2021 scores, the Supreme Court has issued a notice in the matter.
The petition filed by a few doctors has further pointed out before the court that the number of questions reflected at the end of the paper on the computer screen is not the same to the marks reflected in the scorecard.
The top court bench comprising of Justices D. Y. Chandrachud and A. S. Bopanna has tagged the matter with a similar petition, reports Live Law.
The doctors in their plea have sought the following directions-
a. Direction upon NBE to provide the Petitioners and similarly placed candidates with the details regarding the correct and incorrect questions
b. Issue direction upon NBE for releasing the question paper and answer key of the Petitioner doctors and similarly placed candidates of NEET PG 2021
c. Provide the petitioners and similar candidates with the option to reevaluate/recheck the discrepancies in their scores,
d. Declare Clause 9.7 and 10.4 of NEET-PG Information Bulletin, 2021 as unconstitutional
e. Direct NBE for allowing candidates with the option of challenging the answer key in case of disputed questions
f. Direct NBE to provide answer key of the question paper and the option of reevaluation to candidates for present and future, so that the transparency in the evaluation process remains maintained.
Filing the plea, the doctors having MBBS degree and registration with the State Medical Council, submitted before the court their actual score in NEET PG 2021 score card is different than what they had expected to score in the exam.
They further argued that the act of the National Board of Examination (NBE) has been arbitrary for not disclosing the summary of questions attempted in the PG entrance examination, i.e. NEET PG 2021.
"It is most humbly submitted that in absence of the said record, it is impossible for the candidates to have any record, whatsoever for the number of attempted and not attempted questions. It is most humbly submitted that the candidates after the disclosure of their scores, in absence of any record of the exam are left in a miserable and a helpless state. Act of Respondent No. 1 by not releasing the answer key and the question paper for NEET PG 2021 is manifestly arbitrary. The Petitioners and similarly placed candidates have also challenged arbitrary action on part of Respondent No. 1 in not providing the candidates with the option of revaluation or rechecking, in case of discrepancy in their scores", the Plea states as per Live Law.
Contending that there is no parameter for the aspirants to compare the actual answer filled by them, the doctors pointed out how the score card reflects only the total score, total correct responses and total incorrect responses.
Thus, not disclosing the details of the total attempted questions after the examination and deprive the candidates the access to their answer sheets and question paper violates the fundamental and legal right ensured under the Right to Information Act, alleged the petitioner doctors.
Further claiming that NEET-PG candidates have a disadvantageous position for not having any direct documentary evidence regarding the events of the exam, the doctors urged the court to set aside Clause 9.7 and Clause 10.4 of the NEET-PG Information Bulletin, claiming it to be unconstitutional.
"It is most humbly submitted that clause 9.7 of the NEET-PG Information Bulletin is unconstitutional and deprives the Respondent of their fundamental right to know. Clause 9.7 of the Information bulletin is provided hereunder for the ready reference of this Hon'ble Court: '9.7. NEET-PG is a proprietary examination and is conducted only by NBE. The contents of this exam are confidential, proprietary and are owned by NBE. NBE explicitly prohibits the candidate, from reproducing, transmitting or publishing any or some contents of this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means verbal or written, electronic or mechanical for any purpose whatsoever. NBE shall not entertain any request for sharing any content of the examination including answer keys/answer sheets'...Further, as per Clause 10.4 of the NEET-PG Information Bulletin, 2021, the Respondent No. 1 is depriving the candidates of revaluation/retotalling/rechecking of responses filled by them. The said act is in violation of the fundamental right of the candidates and also against the principle of natural justice," further added the plea.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a similar plea had been filed before the top court, where few doctors had demanded immediate release of the answer key and question paper of the NEET PG 2021 examination. Seeking transparency in the examination process, the plea had demanded the constitution of a high-powered committee for examining the alleged discrepancies, direction upon NBE to upload the individual OMR sheet, question paper, and answer key, allow candidates to challenge the answer key in case of disputes etc.
