A group of NEET-UG 2024 candidates has approached the Supreme Court, demanding a Re- examination due to allegations of a paper leak and concerns over the integrity of the test.
Supreme Court Plea Filed
Candidates, including Shivangi Mishra, filed a plea on June 1 through lawyer Usha Nandini V, arguing that the May 5 NEET-UG exam was compromised due to malpractices, violating Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality. The plea may be listed before a vacation bench this week.
NEET Paper Leak Scam
The NEET-UG 2024 exam faced significant controversy following the revelation of a paper leak scam in Bihar. Thirteen individuals, including examinees and their family members, were arrested for their involvement. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police found that brokers charged between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from aspirants in exchange for the question paper. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed seeking a stay on the exam results, which the Supreme Court refused, but it agreed to consider the matter.
NEET Scorecard Controversy
NTA released the NEET scorecard on June 4, 2024. Out of 24.06 lakh candidates, 67 secured All India Rank 1, raising suspicions. Social media users, including doctors, questioned the results, highlighting the marking scheme anomalies. According to NEET’s marking scheme, candidates can score 716 if they leave one answer unattempted and 715 if they give one wrong answer. The NTA clarified that candidates were awarded grace marks due to loss of time during the exam.
Grace Marks Clarification
NTA explained that candidates received grace marks following representations and court cases concerning lost time during the exam. The normalization formula, adopted by the Supreme Court in a judgment dated June 13, 2018, was used to address this issue, allowing scores of 718 or 719 marks.
Demands for Government Intervention
Several NEET aspirants appealed to government officials, urging intervention to ensure exam integrity. They expressed concerns over the impact of the paper leak on honest aspirants. A letter shared on social media highlighted the severity of the issue, urging immediate steps to uphold the examination’s integrity, including the re-conducting of NEET under stringent security measures.
NEET-UG is the qualifying exam for various medical and dental courses. With the 2024 examination mired in controversy, the call for a re-examination underscores the need for stringent measures to maintain fairness and transparency in such critical national exams.