New Delhi, June 12, 2024: The Centre announced today that the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates seeking admission into medical colleges will be scrapped after they were given grace marks for a wrong question. These candidates can opt for a re-test on June 23, with results to be declared on June 30.
The decision follows allegations of massive irregularities and unfair marking in the nationwide medical entrance exams. The Centre informed the Supreme Court that if these candidates do not take the re-test, their earlier scores, without the grace marks, will be considered final.
A committee met on June 10, 11, and 12 to investigate the allegations, recommending the cancellation of the affected scorecards and a re-examination for these students. The Supreme Court reaffirmed its decision not to halt the counselling process for NEET-UG 2024, stating that it will proceed as scheduled without interruption.
Counselling for admissions into MBBS, BDS, and other courses will start on July 6, the Centre said.
Approximately 24 lakh medical aspirants took the NEET-UG 2024 on May 5, an ultra-competitive entrance test for undergraduate medical courses conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The results were declared on June 4, ahead of the initially scheduled date of June 14, due to earlier evaluation of answer sheets.
However, allegations of a question paper leak and grace marks given to over 1,500 candidates triggered protests and lawsuits in seven High Courts and the Supreme Court. On June 10, scores of students protested in Delhi, seeking an inquiry and alleging that 67 students shared the top rank because of grace marks.
Petitioners from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh claimed there was “no defined logic” for the grace marks, citing “statistically impossible” scores, including students scoring the maximum of 720 out of 720. They pointed out that 67 students from one coaching centre secured perfect scores and contested the provisional answer key released by the NTA, which was challenged by over 13,000 students.
The petitions emphasized the dangers of cheating in a medical test, stating, “This field requires a deep understanding of scientific and medical knowledge… cheating or using unfair means to pass an exam can lead to a lack of competence and endanger the lives of patients.”
The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and NTA over the petitions seeking to cancel the NEET-UG 2024 results, stressing the need for answers to maintain the examination’s integrity.
The Centre assured the court that a committee was set up to review the results of the 1,563 candidates who received grace marks due to time loss during the exam, leading to the decision to invalidate their scorecards and offer a re-test. The Supreme Court will take up all petitions related to the cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 on account of these allegations on July 8.
