After the Bombay High Court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the NEET examination afresh for two candidates who approached the judiciary, the result for the 2021 exam stands delayed. This has extended the waiting period for nearly 16 lakh students who appeared for the exam held on September 12 this year.
The decision comes after two medical aspirants from Solapur complained that their exam invigilators mixed up their question and answer sheets on the day of the examination, leaving them without the original answer booklet for results. This automatically means that the already delayed results for the all India medical entrance exam will be further delayed.
"There have been too many hiccups with NEET-UG exams this year, starting with delay due to rising Covid-19 cases, then complaints of malpractices during the exam. Now this order by the Bombay HC automatically means further delay," said Anuja Parikh, mother of a UG medical aspirant.
Complaints of malpractices on the day of the exam cropped up in several states this year, including Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Several petitions were filed demanding for re-examination but the final verdict came from the Supreme Court last month clarifying that no re-exam would be held for NEET-UG 2021.
Late on Thursday night, the National Testing Agency (NTA) further extended dates for the second phase of online correction of data in the original application form. Students can now complete this process by October 26, 11:50 pm. The NTA, however, has not yet given clarity on the second round of exam as per Bombay HC order, out details about results date.