NEET-UG 2024 row: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday told Supreme Court that it proposes to cancel the scorecards and will conduct re-exam of 1,563 students who were awarded grace marks. The top court is hearing pleas seeking for a fresh NEET-UG exam amid allegations of paper leak after several students shared the first rank when the results were declared on June 4. Among the three petitions, one has also been filed by chief executive of EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah’, pertaining to the controversy-ridden NEET-UG, 2024 for admission to MBBS, BDS and others courses.
The Supreme Court has taken into record the statement of NTA that a re-test of 1,563 students will be notified today itself and it would likely be held on June 23 and results would be declared prior to June 30 so that counselling which is set to begin in July is not affected.
The top court reiterated that the counselling will go on and they will not stop it. "If the exam goes then everything goes in totality so nothing to fear," it said.
NTA told the court that a decision has been taken after their meeting June 12. The committee is of view to subject the 1,563 candidates to a retest of NEET exam.
All scorecards issues to 1,563 candidates will be cancelled. The re-exam will be conducted. The ones who do not appear for this retest it will appear without compensatory marks, NTA told the Supreme Court.
When Supreme Court asked that there is some discrepancy when you (NTA) say they (students) have option to not appear for the re-exam but their scorecards will be cancelled. The NTA responded saying that those who do not appear will have their original scores without compensatory (grace) marks but 1,563 will get the option to appear for re-exam.
The Supreme Court further said that everyone cannot apply for retest. Only those candidates whose time was reduced can apply for this retest. CLAT judgment is not being applied here.
The re-exam of 1563 candidates will be conducted on June 23, the result will be declared before June 30 and counselling will take place on July 6, the NTA said.
Earlier, Alakh Pandey, the chief executive of the EdTech firm, has moved the top court against alleged random award of grace marks by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to over 1,500 candidates. The top court has also listed for hearing the two pleas filed by Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Jaripiti Kartheek separately.
Pandey has urged the top court to set up an expert panel under its supervision to "enquire into the examination process and results of NEET (UG) 2024.” The examination was held by the NTA on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates took it.
The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.
The allegations such as question paper leak and the grant of grace marks to over 1,500 medical aspirants have led to protests and filing of cases in seven high courts as also the Supreme Court.
As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities.
Scores of students protested in Delhi on June 10 seeking a probe into alleged irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.
The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
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