On Thursday the Supreme Court has taken an important decision on petitions regarding the award of grace marks by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The court has allowed around 1,563 candidates the choice to opt for a re-test due to problems faced during the exam conducted on May 5. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the case during the vacation bench session.
The Centre and NTA informed the court that students who were granted grace marks will now have the option to appear for a re-test. However, the court decided not to halt the ongoing counselling process for admissions. The re-test, that is scheduled for June 23, will involve cancelling the scorecards of those candidates who choose to participate. For candidates opting out, their original scorecards (without grace marks) will be considered valid.
NTA officials assured the court that re-test results are expected before June 30, aiming to facilitate the counselling process starting from July 6. This comes in response to concerns raised over suspected malpractices during the NEET-UG exam, including claims of question paper leaks and irregularities in granting grace marks.
The court also issued a notice regarding these malpractices, combining petitions for further hearing on July 8. One notable petitioner is Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physicswallah, among others seeking to annul the NEET-UG 2024 exam results due to these controversies.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam, held across 4,750 centres on May 5, saw participation from approximately 24 lakh candidates. Despite expectations for results by June 14, they were announced earlier on June 4, following swift evaluation of answer sheets.
Recent protests in Delhi on June 10 highlighted concerns over irregularities, particularly focusing on the allocation of grace marks influencing the top ranks. Allegations and legal actions have been widespread, with cases filed in multiple high courts and the Supreme Court.
The NTA, responsible for conducting NEET-UG for admissions to medical, dental, and other related courses in India, continues to address these challenges amidst ongoing inspection and public outcry.