The Maharashtra government has requested the central government to pause the counselling process until the issue is resolved and any granted grace marks to be cancelled amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the recently announced NEET-UG 2024 results.
On Monday, Dinesh Waghmare, the state’s Principal Secretary in the Department of Medical Education, wrote a letter to the Union Secretary of Health and the senior director of the National Testing Agency (NTA) where he explained that many MBBS aspirants are upset about their all-India NEET ranks. He pointed out that there is a difference between the marks published on the scorecards and the marks students calculated based on their OMR sheets.
The state has demanded a pause on the NEET-UG 2024 counselling process at both the all-India and state levels until these issues are resolved. They also want the grace marks given to certain students for lost exam time to be removed.
“Considering the seriousness of the issue, an early response in this matter will ensure justice for the NEET-UG 2024 aspirants,” Waghmare said in the letter.
Many students who took the NEET have complained about the unusually high number of perfect scores, particularly the eight students who scored 720/720 from the same exam center in Haryana. Concerns have also been raised about the grace marks given by the NTA and the method used to normalize scores.
Waghmare questioned the awarding of grace marks, which were not mentioned in the NEET brochure published by the NTA. He noted that the NTA had created its own rule for publishing the NEET UG 2024 results.
“There was no provision for grace marks in the information brochure published by the NTA. Yet, the NTA has implemented one rule while publishing the results. There is a difference between the actual marks published in the scorecards and the marks in the OMR sheets. This has resulted in great loss for the NEET aspirants in Maharashtra,” Waghmare said.
This year, nearly 2.4 million candidates gave the NEET exam. After the results were announced, there was nationwide outrage among aspirants who noticed their ranks had dropped compared to their score-and-rank analysis from 2023.
In response to the outcry, the NTA set up a committee to investigate the issue. However, since the panel was established by the NTA and not an independent body, parents and students are concerned about the fairness of the outcome.
The Tamil Nadu government is also putting pressure on the NTA to review the NEET-UG 2024 evaluation methods, including the use of grace marks. Health Minister Ma Subramanian is working to ensure the process is fair amid concerns over irregularities and anomalies.
In a statement, the NTA mentioned that 1,563 students were compensated for lost exam time during NEET-UG 2024, but they did not provide details on the marks awarded or the formula used.
This year, a record 67 candidates scored 720 in NEET-UG, which was conducted by the National Testing Agency. The cut-offs were higher this year, with 13.16 lakh students qualifying, up from 11.44 lakh in 2023.
The state government’s call for a forensic audit and the pause in the counselling process highlight the ongoing concerns about the fairness and transparency of the NEET-UG 2024 examination and results.