NEET 2024: Awarding Grace Marks was 'Arbitrary', Plea in SC Demands Re-NEET, recall of results
New Delhi: The demands for re-conduction of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination are escalating further as another plea has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking to recall the results of the NEET UG 2024 exam and praying for the conduct of a fresh examination.
Approaching the Apex Court bench, the petitioners have alleged widespread discrepancies in the NEET results and also highlighted the alleged arbitrariness of the grant of grace marks.
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", reports Live Law
They have claimed that the grant of grace marks for the delay during the exam by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the authority in charge of conducting the NEET UG exam, was a mala fide exercise to give "backdoor entry" to certain students.
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As per the latest media report by Live Law, the petitioners have also raised their suspicions regarding the fact that a total of 67 students secured 720 marks and they also referred to the multiple complaints regarding the provisional answer key published by NTA on April 29. They also referred to the complaints of question paper leak in the NEET UG 2024 exam.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that two other pleas had already been filed before the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the test based on the allegations of paper leak. One of these pleas had also sought a stay on the publication of the NEET UG 2024 results. However, the Supreme Court bench had refused to grant such a relief.
This new plea has been filed 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.
NEET-UG is the qualifying entrance exam for admission to Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery (BSMS), Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS), and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) and BSc (H) Nursing courses. NTA released the scorecard of NEET Ug 2024 on 04.06.2024.
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.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that this year's cut-off is unexpectedly high and due to this, candidates having a difference of only a few numbers have witnessed a significant difference in their ranks.
Protest by Medical Aspirants:
Raising their voice against these issues, recently medical aspirants were seen protesting, rallying and raising slogans against NTA in Kanpur, Varanasi and Lucknow.
Plea in HC & Supreme Court:
Meanwhile, a plea has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a fresh NEET UG 2024 examination. The candidates are also planning to seek a stay on the counselling process. Another plea was filed before the Patna HC seeking a CBI investigation into the irregularities in NEET UG 2024 results.
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.
Also Read: NTA justifies NEET 2024 conduct: Here are 5 takeaways from Press Conference
