NEET Malpractice: NMC Orders Suspension of 26 MBBS students, 14 admissions cancelled, 42 Debarred
MBBS Admission Cancelled
New Delhi: Taking action against instances of malpractice in the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination that have come to light, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed the medical colleges and institutes to immediately suspend 26 MBBS students who were found complicit in the violations.
A senior official in the Union Health Ministry informed that, additionally, admissions of 14 other students for the academic year 2024-2025 have been cancelled, The Hindu has reported.
Further, based on the National Testing Agency's identification of several cases as "Unfair Means (UFM)" and the consequent review report of those cases by NTA's dedicated UFM Committee, 42 candidates have been debarred from appearing in the undergraduate medical entrance test i.e. NEET-UG for three years- 2024, 2025, and 2026, while nine other students have been debarred for two years- 2025 and 2026.
The candidature of another 215 students who appeared for the examination has been put on hold, according to official sources in the Union Health Ministry, quotes Indian Express
Last year, the NEET exam for the academic year 2024 was held on May 5, which stirred up a lot of controversy due to certain anomalies, including several students scoring impossible full marks, the exam being announced on the day of the Lok Sabha election results much before the scheduled date, and toppers reportedly being from the same exam centre.
Also Read: Supreme Court closes NEET paper leak case, Govt to implement panel suggestions
Around 24 lakh candidates had appeared for NEET UG 2024. The prestigious exam was mired in controversy due to discrepancies. Meanwhile, students reported that the centre gave them question papers with pre-marked answers, then withdrew them.
The matter had also reached the Supreme Court. However, the top court bench had dismissed the pleas seeking re-conduct of the NEET UG 2024 examination citing insufficient evidence to establish a systemic paper leak or malpractice. However, it had criticised NTA for the lapses made in the exam. The Court had also expanded the remit of the seven-member expert panel, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Radhakrishnan, to review NTA's functioning and recommend exam reforms to make the NEET-UG (National Eligibility Entrance Test Undergraduate), transparent and free from malpractices.
Meanwhile, the investigation in the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exam is still ongoing and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was tasked with the probe, and the NTA have uncovered multiple instances of malpractice, including impersonation and the use of leaked question papers.
Based on the probe, NMC has now ordered the immediate suspension of 26 MBBS students who were found complicit in the examination and the admissions of 14 other students have been cancelled in this connection, The Hindu has reported. With the investigation ongoing, the candidature of 215 candidates remains under review.
"Given the severity of these violations and their potential to undermine the credibility of the medical education system, the National Medical Commission has issued directives to the concerned medical colleges and institutions to immediately suspend the 26 MBBS students," an official source told the Times of India.
Commenting on the matter, a senior official in the Health Ministry told the Daily, "The gravity of these offences threatens the credibility of the medical education system. The Commission has taken a serious view of the matter."
Highlighting the NMC's zero-tolerance policy toward academic fraud, a senior Central Government official added, "Such misconduct compromises the sanctity of the examination process and directly threatens the standards of medical education and public trust."
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that recently, based on the NMC order, MBBS admissions for two students were cancelled due to irregularities in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2024 medical entrance exam.
One of these students was studying at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru, while the other was studying at AJ Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangaluru. Both students had taken seats in the management quota. In February, after the NMC notification, the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) informed Mangaluru Medical College; KIMS received the letter last week.
Also Read: After NMC Order, MBBS Admissions of 2 Students Cancelled over NEET 2024 malpractice
