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BACKGROUND
The Center and the National Testing Agency (“NTA”) informed the Supreme Court recently that they had revoked the grace marks granted to 1,563 applicants of the examination NEET-UG, amidst a furious dispute over the exam.
The Union Government’s representative told the Supreme Court soon the NEET-UG students would receive their genuine scores (without the grace marks) and have the opportunity to retake the test. In the event that those students decide not to retake the test, their performance in the exam will be considered.
FACTS OF THE CASE
- More than 24 Lakh candidates gave NEET UG exam. On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the NTA released the NEET-UG 2024 results on its official website.
- Students began to voice concerns following the announcement of the results over claims of anomalies and paper leaks. Approximately 67 individuals received a percentile score of 99.99, placing them among the top rankings.
- Inflated cutoffs raised concerns, particularly since some applicants scored extraordinarily well, despite the marking scheme’s limitations. In response to these concerns, the NTA awarded candidates who experienced exam time loss compensation marks. Inconsistencies in textbooks also caused some students’ scores to rise, which raised the number of top scorers.
As a result, the following petitions were filed:
- Alakh Pandey v. National Testing Agency and Anr., W.P.(C) No. 368/2024
- Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Anr. v. National Testing Agency (NTA) and Ors., W.P. (C) No. 369/2024
- Jaripiti Kartheek v. National Testing Agency (NTA) and Ors., W.P.(C) No. 366/2024
Several other candidates of this year’s NEET UG filed petitions in High Courts of Punjab & Haryana, Delhi and Chhattisgarh voicing issues regarding exam time reduction at specific centres on the day of examination.
- In response, the NTA formed a Grievance Redressal Committee comprising examination and academic experts to address these issues relied on the judgement given in the case of Disha Panchal vs. Union of India and others. The NTA recommended awarding of compensatory marks after forming a second committee to re-evaluate the matter. The proposals state that the scorecards of the 1563 candidates who are impacted should be cancelled and revoked. The real scores of the 1563 impacted applicants will be disclosed, with no bonus points. Additionally, a re-examination of the 1563 affected candidates is planned.
- The marks earned by the candidates who will take the retest will be taken into consideration, and their marks based on the previous examination will be discarded. The results of the affected candidates who do not wish to appear for the re-examination will be declared on their actual marks without compensation obtained by them in the actual examination.
KEY ISSUES INVOLVED
The main contentions of the dispute surrounding the NEET-UG findings are as follows:
- A total of 67 students received perfect scores of 720/720.
- Students received scores of 718 and 719, which are far-fetched based on the NEET grading system.
- The NEET-UG results were made public 10 days earlier from its scheduled date on the day of Lok Sabha election results day.
- There were several claims of paper leaks hours before the actual conduct of the exam in areas of Bihar, Gujrat and Odisha.
SUPREME COURT’S RULING
Supreme Court gave its ruling for the following petitions: –
- The first petition was filed by Mr. Alakh Pandey, the CEO of the Physics Wallah, who claimed, that the NTA’s decision to award grace marks was “arbitrary”. Reportedly, Mr. Alakh Pandey collected representations from about 20,000 students, showing that about 70-80 marks were randomly awarded as grace marks to at least 1,500 students
- The second petition demanded conduct of a fresh exam over alleged paper-leak and other malpractices.
3.The third petition was filed by a NEET candidate, challenging the award of grace marks as compensation for alleged loss of time during the exam.
The Supreme Court based on these petitions issued a notice to central government NTA agency to maintain the integrity and not to violate the sanctity of the exam also seeking a response from the NTA upon the various allegations. However, the Apex court refused to put a stay on the upcoming scheduled counselling process for the admission to medical colleges
Moreover, Supreme Court allowed NTA to proceed for holding a re-test. Moreover, the Court declared that the suggestions made by the NTA panel are “fair, reasonable, and justified.”
Furthermore, in light of additional research and committee findings, the Supreme Court has set a hearing for July 8, 2024, to discuss the potential of cancelling NEET UG 2024.
GOING BEYOND THE HEADLINE
Since the NEET-UG examinations are the entry points to esteemed medical, dental and other medical programs requiring a deep understanding of scientific and medical knowledge, such examinations play a crucial role in defining the future of medical aspirants in the country. Irregularities like cheating or using unfair means to pass an exam, lack of transparency can lead to a lack of competence and endanger lives of patients. Cheating in exams undermines the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunities, which are essential for social mobility and fairness in society. The country already had various other instances of irregularities in nationwide examination previously, yet we are seeing another major instance of such anomaly. The testing agencies and the examination authorities must exercise stringent monitoring and responsibility as future of the country is at stake.
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