BREAKING| 'Re-NEET Not Feasible' NTA Tells Supreme Court; Denies NEET Leak on Telegram Allegations

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has submitted a comprehensive written response to the Supreme Court concerning the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 examination. In its statement, the NTA asserted that there was no systematic failure in the examination process and addressed the incidents reported in Bihar, stating that investigations into these events are underway. The agency again denied the allegations of NEET paper leaks on social media. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case today, where various petitions related to the NEET-UG examination will be considered.

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Rebuttal of Paper Leak Allegations

The NTA has denied allegations of the question paper being circulated on Telegram. They stated that the message and image allegedly showing the leak were doctored, manipulated, edited, and anti-dated. The examination concluded at 5:20 PM on May 5, 2024, and the alleged leak time of 5:40 PM clearly indicates that the question paper was already accessible to the public. Discussions within the Telegram channel suggested that members identified the video as fake, with a manipulated timestamp intended to create a false impression of an early leak. Telegram’s Terms of Service allow editing of messages and files up to 48 hours after sending, corroborating the claim that the images were edited to suggest a May 4th leak.

The NTA clarified that the incident occured in Bihar is a criminal activity initially investigated by the Bihar Police and later transferred to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU). Subsequently, the central-level investigation into NEET-related matters was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Following the issuance of show-cause notices, the NTA has withheld the results of 17 suspect candidates. The agency emphasized that conducting a re-examination for 2.5 million students would jeopardize their futures.

Detailed Preparation Timeline and Security Measures

The NTA, in its response, outlined the meticulous steps taken to prepare for the NEET-UG 2024 examination:

- August to December 2023: Subject experts were identified and invited to the NTA office to create a question bank in a controlled environment. A total of 140 subject experts participated in these workshops, and their work was sealed at the end of each day to maintain confidentiality.

- February 9, 2024: The NTA issued a public notice inviting online applications for NEET (UG) 2024 and published the Information Bulletin detailing the norms, schemes, examination pattern, evaluation procedure, and result declaration process.

- February 16 to February 28, 2024: A committee of 10 subject experts and moderators compiled the question bank into question papers. This process was conducted under CCTV surveillance, and two independent sets of question papers (QP1 and QP2) were prepared for each subject.

- March 1 to March 7, 2024: The drafted question papers were reviewed by a team of nine subject experts who provided feedback and suggestions. These experts also sealed their work daily to maintain security. The feedback was then incorporated into the question papers.

- March 8 to March 31, 2024: The finalized question papers were translated into 12 languages by a team of 101 translators, ensuring the confidentiality of the work.

- March 31, 2024: The manuscripts of the two sets of question papers were sent to two separate confidential printing presses. Each press prepared 24 sets of question papers with shuffled sequences of questions within subjects. The OMR sheets, each with a unique number and barcode, were printed separately and matched with the corresponding question papers. This process was carried out under strict security protocols, including CCTV surveillance.

- April 3, 2024: The NTA forwarded an email from "collegekaka" to the appropriate authorities for investigation.

- April 5, 2024: The final translated manuscripts of the question papers were handed over to two different printing presses in sealed envelopes, without any indication of the exam's name. The manuscripts were transported securely and were coded to maintain secrecy.

- April 8 to April 10, 2024: Following orders from the High Courts of Rajasthan and Karnataka, the NEET (UG) 2024 registration window was reopened for two days.

- April 24 to May 3, 2024: The sealed question paper trunks were handed over to a reliable logistics company for transportation. For centers outside India, the confidential material was sent to Indian Embassies or Consulates. In India, the material was delivered to SBI banks in designated cities, including Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and kept in safety vaults until examination day.

- May 5, 2024: On the morning of the exam, the NTA instructed city coordinators to collect the confidential material from the custodians (SBI). The sealed trunks were transported directly to the examination centers without any stoppage. At the centers, the trunks were kept in a confidential room under CCTV surveillance and opened 45 minutes before the exam in the presence of invigilators and candidates.