The Centre has decided to annul the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates who were awarded grace marks, following allegations of unfair means during the examination process. This announcement was made in a statement to the Supreme Court on Thursday, emphasizing the government’s commitment to maintaining the fairness and integrity of the examination.
In an effort to address the concerns, the Centre stated that these candidates will be given the opportunity to retake the exam. “A committee meeting was held on June 10, 11, and 12 to investigate the allegations. Based on the committee’s recommendations, the scorecards of the affected candidates will be cancelled, and a re-examination will be held for these students,” the Centre informed the court.
The retest is scheduled for June 23, with results to be declared on June 30. “The results of the re-test will be declared on June 30; counselling for admission in MBBS, BDS, and other courses will start on July 6,” the Centre added.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the Supreme Court has affirmed that the counselling process for NEET-UG 2024 will proceed without interruption. “Counselling will proceed as scheduled and there will be no interruption. If the exam continues, everything else will proceed as well, so there is no cause for concern,” the court assured.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) following a petition seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 results amid allegations of paper leaks. The court highlighted the need to address the integrity of the examination. “It is not that simple… that because you have done it (held the exam) it is sacrosanct,” the court told the NTA, “Sanctity of (the examination) has been affected… so we need answers.”
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The petitioners, hailing from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, cited discrepancies in scores and alleged preferential treatment for some students. They pointed out the inconsistencies in the allocation of grace marks and questioned the transparency of the process. “There has no defined logic for grace marks given (and) no list has been shared as per given grace marks. Moreover, the reason for awarding grace marks is ‘wastage of time’… but this was never disclosed in information bulletin before the exam,” the petitioners argued.
Additionally, the petitioners noted that 67 students from a single coaching centre achieved a perfect score of 720, raising further suspicions. They also highlighted that over 13,000 students contested a provisional answer key released by the NTA, which indicated a different correct answer.
The Supreme Court, while not halting the counselling process, has scheduled a hearing on July 8 to address all petitions related to the NEET-UG 2024 examination. This includes the plea for cancellation of the results due to alleged malpractices.
The court underscored the potential dangers of cheating in medical exams, stating, “This field requires a deep understanding of scientific and medical knowledge… cheating or using unfair means to pass an exam can lead to a lack of competence and endanger lives of patients.” The petitioners added that cheating undermines meritocracy and equal opportunities, impacting social mobility and fairness in society.
Earlier, on May 17, a similar plea was heard by the Chief Justice’s bench, which issued a notice but did not halt the declaration of results.
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow counselling to continue while addressing the allegations reflects a balanced approach to maintaining the examination’s integrity without disrupting the academic schedule for aspiring medical students.
