In a detailed affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Centre reported that a data analytics investigation by IIT-Madras into the NEET-UG 2024 results revealed no evidence of mass malpractice or localized cheating, The Indian Express said in a report.
This response followed the Court’s inquiry on Monday regarding the feasibility of using data analytics to identify and segregate students involved in potential misconduct.
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The Centre’s affidavit highlighted that the Department of Higher Education had tasked IIT-Madras with analysing the NEET-UG 2024 data. IIT-Madras employed various parameters, including marks distribution, city-wise and centre-wise rank distribution, and the spread of candidates’ scores. The analysis found that the marks distribution adhered to the expected bell curve, indicating no abnormalities.
“An exhaustive and elaborate technical evaluation of the data pertaining to the NEET-UG 2024 examination was carried out by IIT-Madras, using parameters like marks distribution, city-wise and centre-wise rank distribution, and candidates spread over marks range,” the affidavit quoted by Express reads. The evaluation showed no signs of widespread malpractice or localized benefit leading to abnormal scores.
Background and findings
The NEET-UG exam, crucial for medical admissions, was held on May 5. Following allegations of question paper leaks and malpractices, the Supreme Court sought clarity on whether data analytics could be used to identify suspect cases.
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The Centre’s affidavit explained that the data analysis was granular enough to detect any significant malpractice. It found an overall increase in student marks, particularly in the range of 550 to 720, which was attributed to a 25 percent reduction in syllabus. The high-scoring candidates were spread across multiple cities and centres, further indicating minimal likelihood of malpractice.
Response to specific incidents
Regarding the “alleged question paper-related incident at Patna,” the NTA, in a separate affidavit, stated that Bihar police had provided a list of 17 candidates. The results for these candidates were withheld following due process. Similarly, in Godhra, Gujarat, where allegations of wrongdoing emerged, results for 30 candidates were withheld after issuance of show cause notices.
The NTA also addressed claims of a question paper leak on Telegram, noting that discussions within the Telegram channel identified the video as fake, with the timestamp manipulated to create a false impression of an early leak.
Future steps and security measures
The Centre and NTA are considering converting the NEET-UG exam from a pen-and-paper mode to a computer-based test (CBT) mode to prevent future malpractices. Additional security measures have been recommended to ensure the exam’s integrity. As of now, 153 cases of unfair means have been reported, with appropriate actions recommended for each case.
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The Centre assured that counselling for NEET-UG 2024 would proceed in four rounds starting from the third week of July. It emphasized that any candidate found to be a beneficiary of malpractice would have their candidature canceled at any stage during the counselling process or afterward.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is scheduled to hear a batch of pleas related to the NEET-UG exam, including allegations of irregularities and malpractices, on Thursday. The Court’s decision will consider whether the alleged breach affected the entire process and if a retest is warranted based on these findings.
