The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday (June 13) three petitions, including the one 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. According to the top court’s updated list of business, a vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta will take up the petitions raising grievances related to the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), 2024.
Petitions in Supreme Court
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.
Protests over the matter
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. Several 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.
63 cases of use of unfair means but no paper leak NEET-UG sanctity not compromised: NTA officials
Sixty-three cases of students using unfair means were reported in NEET-UG out of whom 23 have been debarred for varying periods, NTA officials said Wednesday, but reiterated the sanctity of the medical entrance exam hasn't been compromised and there has been no paper leak.
The result of the remaining 40 candidates who were found using unfair means have been withheld, NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh told PTI.
"A committee was constituted consisting of three eminent experts in field of examination and academics to put forward different types of cases reported such as impersonation, cheating and tampering with OMR sheet," NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh told PTI. "On recommendations of the panel, 12 candidates were debarred from taking the exam for three years, nine candidates debarred for two years and two candidate for one year each. The result of remaining candidates has been withheld. The panel had given recommendations for each case," Singh added.
(With PTI inputs)
