NEET UG 2024 Hearing
NEET UG 2024 Hearing : The Supreme Court is set to commence hearings on three petitions concerning the contentious medical entrance examination NEET-UG, 2024, which is a prerequisite for admission into MBBS, BDS, and other medical programs.
One of the petitions was submitted by Alakh Pandey, the CEO of the EdTech company ‘Physics Wallah,’ challenging the purported indiscriminate allocation of grace marks by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to over 1,500 applicants. In his plea, Pandey requested the Supreme Court to establish an expert panel under its oversight to “investigate the examination process and outcomes of NEET (UG) 2024.”
This year, a remarkable 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, leading to scrutiny and suspicions of irregularities, particularly in Faridabad, Haryana, where six candidates from a single examination center were listed among the perfect scorers.
The controversy surrounding the NEET UG 2024 examination and its results persists. However, the Supreme Court made a significant statement on Thursday, June 13, 2024, assuring students that there is no cause for alarm.
Who argued what?
During the hearing, the Supreme Court stated, “Counseling will proceed as planned, and we have no intention of halting it. Examinations are comprehensive processes, and in such cases, there is no reason for fear.” The court also emphasized that a complete cancellation of the exam is not the appropriate course of action at this time.
The central government’s legal representative informed the Supreme Court that a four-member committee formed by the Ministry of Education has recommended a re-examination for over 1,500 students. If these students opt not to retake the exam, the removal of grace marks will be considered.
The government further informed the court that the 1,563 students who received grace marks will have the opportunity to retake the exam on June 23, with results expected on June 30. The counseling process for MBBS, BDS, and other course admissions will commence on July 6.
Consequently, a new ranking will be released after June 30, giving the 1,563 students the choice to either retake the exam or accept the new ranking by forfeiting 4 grace marks. This decision will render the current rankings obsolete.
Following the arguments, the Supreme Court scheduled all applications, including the petition seeking exam cancellation due to alleged cheating, for a hearing on July 8.
What was said in the petition?
In his petition, Alakh Pandey, along with other petitioners Abdullah Mohammad Faiz and J. Karthik, requested the Supreme Court to form an expert committee to scrutinize the NEET-UG 2024 examination process and results.
What did the NTA say?
The Supreme Court requested responses from the Central Government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, regarding the matter. The NTA responded by clarifying that out of the 67 candidates who scored 720 out of 720, 44 received marks due to changes in the Physics answer key, and six due to time lost during the exam.
What are the students demanding?
Students are demanding a halt to counseling and a re-examination, alleging that the NEET UG-2024 results contain discrepancies and that there has been an unprecedented number of toppers, with 67 students achieving perfect scores.
