Exam ‘Irregularities’ in 2024: Congress Wants a SC-Monitored Investigation Into NEET UG Results
NEET UG 2024 Exam Result: On Friday, the Congress accused the BJP of deceiving the youth and compromising their futures, calling for a thorough investigation into the “irregularities” in the NEET medical entrance exam overseen by the Supreme Court. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge stated that issues like paper leaks, exam rigging, and corruption are now frequent in various examinations, including NEET.
“Paper leaks, rigging, and corruption have become commonplace in many examinations, including NEET. The Modi government is being held accountable for this. Candidates who face numerous irregularities and get entangled in the web of paper leaks are having their futures jeopardized. The BJP is accused of deceiving the nation’s youth. A high-level investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision is demanded to ensure justice for the talented students taking NEET and other exams,” was stated in a Hindi post on X.
A record number of 67 candidates, six of whom were from the same examination center, achieved the top rank in the NEET medical entrance exam, sparking allegations of mark inflation by several applicants. The National Testing Agency (NTA) attributes the higher scores to modifications in the NCERT textbooks and the provision of grace marks for delays at the testing center. However, the NTA has denied any irregularities. According to the results published by the NTA on Wednesday night, six out of the 67 top-ranked students were from the same examination center in Haryana.
Recently, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the Modi government for alleged anomalies in the NEET medical entrance exam, calling for an investigation into the students’ “legitimate complaints.” The Congress party has claimed that these irregularities could impact the future of approximately 24 lakh students and has demanded accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the government.
NTA Provides Explanation Regarding Supposed Abnormalities in NEET 2024 Results
The National Testing Agency (NTA) provided a detailed explanation for the mark inflation, stating it had received complaints about lost time during the exam. “The normalization formula, developed and approved by the Supreme Court in its judgment dated June 13, 2018, was implemented to compensate for the time loss experienced by NEET (UG) 2024 candidates after considering the cases and representations,” the NTA mentioned.
The agency ascertained the amount of exam time lost and awarded grace marks accordingly. As a result, scores could also be 718 or 719,” the statement clarified. In response to queries about the unclear implementation of grace marks, a senior NTA official informed PTI that the question paper was designed based on a new NCERT textbook.
The entrance exam took place on May 5 across 4,750 venues in 571 cities, including 14 international locations. On May 5, the NTA reported that the distribution of incorrect question papers at a center in Rajasthan led to some candidates leaving with the papers, but denied any question paper leaks.
Subsequently, the NTA reaffirmed that allegations of question paper leaks in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam were “entirely unfounded and without merit,” ensuring that all question papers were accounted for.