NEET Controversy: This year, the NEET exam was conducted on May 5th, and the NTA released the results on June 4th. Along with the results, the agency also announced the cut-off and the toppers. The NTA stated that this year’s cut-off for the General category is 720-164, and the number of toppers is 67. The NEET exam was held in 4,750 centers across 571 cities in the country. Over 2.4 million candidates appeared for this exam. As soon as the results were announced, NEET students and experts began raising objections. Consequently, the issue started to escalate. Let’s talk about the NEET Controversy.
What Issues Did Students Raise?
When the NTA uploaded the toppers’ PDFs on their website, students began to question the results. They asked the agency how it was possible that this year there were a total of 67 toppers, all of whom scored a perfect 720 marks, whereas in previous years there were only one or at most two toppers. Additionally, it was noted that six toppers were from the same exam center. Students and experts further pointed out that many of this year’s NEET toppers were from the same center and that there were reports of paper leaks at several centers before the exam.
In response, the NTA stated that 1,563 candidates were given grace marks in the exam. This led to the NTA becoming embroiled in controversy. Students accused the NTA of awarding grace marks only to students from specific centers, even though delays in the paper occurred at several centers. Experts also alleged discrepancies, stating that two students, who ranked 68 and 69, were awarded 718 and 719 marks respectively, which is not possible according to NEET’s marking scheme. Following these allegations, NEET students began protesting nationwide.
Along with students, several prominent figures such as Alakh Pandey, CEO of PhysicsWallah, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Randeep Surjewala also raised questions. Alakh Pandey, the founder of PhysicsWallah, claimed in a video that he had evidence revealing the biggest secret of the NTA in NEET 2024. He shared an OMR sheet in the video, explaining that according to his calculations, the student should have scored 368 marks, but the NTA awarded them 453 marks in the results, indicating a discrepancy of 85 marks possibly due to grace marks.
How Did NEET Controversy Reach the Supreme Court?
Amidst these developments, some students began filing petitions against the NTA in the Supreme Court, High Court, and lower courts. On June 11th, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court alleging irregularities in the NEET exam and requesting the annulment of the NEET UG 2024 results and a re-examination. The petition claimed that grace marks were arbitrarily awarded, resulting in 67 students receiving identical full marks (720). It also called for the formation of an SIT to investigate the matter. Additionally, some students filed petitions to halt counseling and demand a re-examination in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held hearings on these matters, during which it refused to order a halt to counseling or a re-examination. However, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the NTA after hearing a petition. The court combined this petition with another one, stating that the integrity of the exam had been compromised, thus necessitating a response from the NTA. The court announced that the next hearing would be held on July 8th.
Then, today, on June 13th, the Supreme Court heard another petition regarding NEET, wherein the court ordered a re-examination for students who received grace marks. The court mandated that a re-exam be conducted for 1,563 students on June 23rd, with results to be released on June 30th.
Read More: Sonakshi Sinha Wedding: Sonakshi and Zaheer Tie the Knot in a Grand Bollywood Wedding Celebration
