A plea presented in the Supreme Court claims that the NEET UG 2024 exam was marred by malpractices, citing multiple instances of paper leaks that have been brought to the attention of the petitioners.
On June 11, the Supreme Court requested the National Testing Agency’s response to a plea that seeks the re-administration of NEET UG 2024 exam, citing allegations of question paper leaks and other malpractices.
However, a vacation bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah declined to halt the counselling process for successful candidates seeking admissions to MBBS, BDS, and other courses.
NEET UG 2024 exam took place on May 5, with results announced on June 4, slightly later than the anticipated date of June 1.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination, overseen by the National Testing Agency (NTA), facilitates admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses in both government and private institutions nationwide.
The top court associated the plea lodged by Shivangi Mishra and others with an existing case and directed the NTA to submit its response in the interim. The plea contended that NEET UG 2024 exam was tainted by malpractices, citing multiple instances of alleged paper leaks known to the petitioners.
The court was hearing a fresh petition in the ongoing row over the NEET UG 2024 exam results that claim discrepancies in scores and alleged preferential treatment to some students.
The petition asked for the scores from the May 5 exam to be canceled.
The petition also asked for a fresh exam to be held.
The petitioners – from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – have claimed variances in the grant of grace marks, for which they say there is “no defined logic”, and drawn the court’s attention to “statistically impossible” marks, including students scoring the maximum – 720 of 720.
“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 the information bulletin before the exam,” the petitioners claimed.
The petitioners have also pointed to the fact that 67 students from one particular coaching center got a full 720 marks, and also that over 13,000 students had contested a provisional answer key released by the NTA as the problem pointed to a different answer.
Underscoring the dangers of cheating in a medical test, the plea said, “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 patients’ lives.”
The petitioners also noted that cheating in exams “undermines the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunities, which are essential for social mobility and fairness in society”.
“It perpetuates inequalities by favoring those who can afford to pay for leaked exam papers or engage in fraudulent activities, while disadvantaging those who rely on their hard work and merit to succeed and the same also impacts the society as a whole,” the plea said.
On May 17, while the bench led by the Chief Justice was hearing a similar plea, the court issued a notice but did not halt the declaration of results.
Meanwhile, the NTA has decided a high-powered committee will analyze the grievances of 1,600 students who have already appeared for the NEET UG 2024 exam.
The purported paper leak was deemed to be in violation of Article 14 (right to equality) under the Constitution, as it unfairly advantaged certain candidates over others who opted to undertake the examination through legitimate means.
