NEET Result Controversy: Candidates Allege Discrepancies, Urge Supreme Court for OMR Re-Evaluation

In a recent development in the ongoing NEET-UG 2024 results controversy, a new petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a complete re-evaluation of all OMR answer sheets, re-ranking of candidates, and a court-monitored enquiry. The writ petition under Article 32 was filed by eight candidates who appeared for the NEET examination on May 5, 2024. Over 24 lakh students had prepared for and attempted this nationwide exam.

Alleged Irregularities by NTA

The petitioners have pointed out several alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 results:

Discrepancies in Scores: Students received different marks on their scorecards compared to their OMR sheets. These discrepancies were not due to grace marks, as these students were not from the centers where grace marks were purportedly given.

Inflation of Cut-off Marks: There was an unprecedented inflation of cut-off and average marks, with 67 candidates achieving a perfect score of 720/720, compared to the usual 3-4 students.

Concentration of Toppers: Six of the top-ranking candidates were from the same exam center in Haryana.

Statistical Anomalies: Students scoring 718 and 719 marks, which is statistically unusual.

Lack of Transparency: No disclosure of the method or criteria adopted for the grant of compensatory marks for loss of time.

Undefined Grace Marks Logic: The provision for grace marks was introduced after the examination, creating doubts about the authenticity of the results.

Petitioners' Demands

The petitioners have sought several key actions:

Declare Grace Marks Unreasonable: Declare the grant of grace marks to 1,563 candidates as unreasonable and illegal.

Re-evaluate OMR Sheets: Re-evaluate all OMR sheets without applying the grace marks formula and reassign ranks.

High-Power Committee: Establish a High-Power Committee chaired by a retired Supreme Court or High Court Judge to investigate the alleged discrepancies.

Forensic Audit: Conduct a forensic audit by a professional firm to uncover any unfair means used by candidates.

Quash NTA Press Releases: Declare the NTA’s press releases on June 4 and June 6 as illegal and quash them.

Supreme Court's Response

On June 14, a vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued a notice on the petition. Notice was also issued on a similar matter seeking a CBI inquiry into alleged paper leaks in the NEET UG exam. All petitions related to NEET-UG 2024 will be heard next on July 14.

On June 13, the NTA responded to another petition challenging the grant of grace marks to 1,563 candidates. The NTA submitted that the grace marks would be withdrawn, and all those students would be asked to either accept their scores without the grace marks or appear for a re-test.

The petition was drawn by Advocates Tanvi Dubey and Arihant Jain.