The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024 has become embroiled in a series of controversies, ranging from registration anomalies to allegations of paper leaks and unfair grading practices. Here is a detailed account of the events and issues surrounding this year’s examination.
Registration and Examination
The NEET UG 2024 registration process, initially scheduled from February 9 to March 16, saw an unexpected extension. On April 9, the National Testing Agency (NTA) reopened the registration window for two days, following stakeholder requests. This sudden move left students puzzled and questioning the reasons behind it.
The NEET UG exam was conducted on May 5, 2024, with over 24 lakh aspirants appearing across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 international locations. However, the day of the exam was marred by allegations of a question paper leak. Reports emerged from a center in Rajasthan where students claimed they received question papers with pre-marked answers, which were later confiscated. Additionally, Hindi medium students reported receiving English question papers, adding to the confusion.
Result Declaration and Controversies
The results, announced on June 4, sparked significant controversy. Over 1,500 students were awarded grace marks, leading to an unprecedented 67 students achieving a perfect score of 720. This raised suspicions, especially since previous years saw only a handful of perfect scores – two in 2023, three in 2022, two in 2021, and one in 2020. Notably, six of the top scorers were from the same center in Haryana, further fueling doubts.
The anomaly didn’t end there. Following the 67 perfect scores, the next highest scores were 719 and 718, held by students ranked 68 and 69, respectively. This sequence seemed mathematically improbable given the exam’s marking scheme, where each correct answer earns four marks and each incorrect answer deducts one mark, with no marks for unanswered questions.
Exposed Scams and Investigations
Haryana Incident
In Haryana, students at two centers received the wrong set of question papers, which were replaced after 25 minutes. This led to some students receiving grace marks due to the time lost, while others did not. The NTA stored the primary question paper set with the State Bank of India (SBI) and a backup set with Canara Bank, leading to confusion when both sets were issued.
Gujarat Scam
In Gujarat, a scam was uncovered at Jay Jalaram School in Godhra. A police complaint revealed that a dozen students and their parents paid hefty sums to a coaching center run by Roy Overseas. The coaching center, operated by Mr. Roy, who is now in judicial custody, along with Mr. Bhatt and Arif Vora, collected ₹2.82 crore from parents. Five individuals, including the head of the coaching center, have been arrested.
Bihar Incident
In Bihar, Nitish Kumar, a key accused, admitted to organizing a meeting on the night before the NEET exam, where four aspirants memorized answers from the leaked paper. One aspirant, who traveled from Kota to Patna, confirmed that his relative assured him access to the NEET question paper before the test. This scandal led to the arrest of 13 individuals, including Kumar and his associates, who were charged under various IPC sections for criminal conspiracy and breach of trust.
Rajasthan Incident
In Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, students forcibly took away question papers before the exam ended, linking this to allegations of a paper leak. The NTA termed this incident “mischievous and preposterous.”
Legal Actions and Student Demands
Twenty students filed a petition with the Supreme Court, seeking the cancellation of the NEET UG 2024 exam and calling for an investigation by an independent agency like the CBI. They demanded a re-test, citing the unfair awarding of grace marks.
Petitions Filed
Three primary petitions were filed:
Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah: Claimed that the grace marks were arbitrary, based on feedback from about 20,000 students
Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) Members: Called for a re-examination, highlighting the statistical improbability of the high scores.
NEET Candidate Jaripiti Kartheek: Challenged the awarding of grace marks due to lost time, arguing that the normalization formula used was unfair.
Government Response
The government informed the Supreme Court of its decision to cancel the scorecards of 1,563 candidates who received grace marks. These students will be offered a re-test. Affected students will be notified of their revised scores, excluding the grace marks, and will have the option to retake the exam. Those opting not to retake the exam will have their results based on the original scores.
Conclusion
The NEET UG 2024 has been fraught with issues, from registration and examination anomalies to allegations of cheating and unfair grading. The ensuing legal battles and government interventions underscore the need for a more transparent and robust examination process to maintain the integrity and fairness of one of India’s most critical medical entrance exams.
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