SC nods for cancellation of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 results marked thanks

New Delhi, Jun 13 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Thursday approved the recommendations of a National Testing Agency committee which called for scrapping of grace marks given to 1,563 candidates in NEET-UG 2024 exams, cancellation of their score cards issued on June 4 and to the asphalt. possibility of an optional new test.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta accepted the recommendations of the NTA-appointed committee that all 1,563 affected candidates will be informed of their actual scores without compensatory marks.

Their ballots issued on June 4 will be withdrawn and all 1,563 candidates concerned will be able to appear for a new test on June 23 if they wish.

In the case of those who do not wish to appear for the retest, their final marks for entry into medical schools will be the actual marks obtained in the May 5 exam, minus grace marks.

Advocate Kanu Agarwal, appearing for the Union government, said the decision was taken by the NTA panel on June 12 to “allay the fears of students”.

Agarwal said the committee suggested that awarding compensatory marks to 1,563 students due to time wastage had resulted in an “asymmetrical situation”.

The committee, after considering all aspects, has decided that the pardons given to the students should be withdrawn and they will be informed about their actual grades (no pardons soon).

The results of the affected candidates who do not wish to appear for the repeat examination will be declared on their actual marks without compensation obtained by them in the examination held on May 5, 2024.

The marks obtained by the candidates who take the retest will be taken into account on the basis of the exam of June 23 and those delivered on June 4 on the basis of the exam of May 5 will be discarded.

The case relates to several petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the award of compensatory marks to 1,563 candidates using the standardization formula under which candidates who were not entitled to 3 hours 20 minutes in the center were allowed to pass their examination for less time.

Around 24 lakh medical aspirants participated in the NEET-UG 2024 – entrance to undergraduate medical courses – organized by the NTA on May 5. The results were due to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4. But allegations of leaked question papers and pardons granted to over 1,500 medical aspirants have triggered protests and suits in seven high courts besides the Supreme Court.

The compensatory marks were allegedly awarded on the recommendation of a Grievance Redressal Committee relying on a judgment of this Court in the case of Disha Panchal v. Union of India and Others.

The National Testing Agency constituted another committee to re-examine the matter and gave its recommendation on award of compensatory marks.

The subsequent committee met on June 10, 11 and 12 and made recommendations which were submitted to the supreme court on June 13.

According to the recommendations, it was suggested that the score cards of the affected 1,563 candidates, issued on June 4, 2024, would be canceled and withdrawn.

The court also recorded arguments of senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, NTA, who said the retest would be notified today itself and would probably take place on June 23.

The results of the re-test will be published before June 30 so that the consultations scheduled for July 6 can begin.

Taking note of the position of the union and the NTA, the Court ruled on a petition challenging the grant of pardons.

The Court also issued notice on another petition alleging paper leakage during examination and tagged it with similar petitions issued on June 8.

There are a total of three petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the NEET-UG 2024 results for widespread irregularities and raising suspicions over granting of grace marks in the test by the National Testing Agency to over 1,500 candidates on the grounds of “waste of time”.

One of the petitions was filed by PhysicsWalah CEO Alakha Pandey through advocate J Sai Deepak, who alleged that the NTA’s decision to award grace marks was “arbitrary”.

The second petition was filed by SIO members Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Dr Shaik Roshan Mohiddin, seeking recall of NEET-UG 2024 results and conducting a re-examination. This petition also challenged arbitrarily granted pardons.

The third petition was filed by NEET candidate-Jaripiti Kartheek, challenging the award of grace marks as compensation for alleged wastage of time during the examination.

Earlier on June 11, the Supreme Court issued a notice on another petition seeking declaration of NEET-UG results (June 4) and seeking cancellation of NEET-UG 2024 test due to alleged paper leak .

The Supreme Court held that the sanctity of the exam had been affected and sought a response from the NTA to the paper leak allegations by July 8.

The apex court, however, rejected the plea to stay the counseling process.

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