Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Amid allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exam, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met with students on both sides of the issue, promising that no injustice will occur. This comes as the Supreme Court postponed its hearing on petitions calling for and against a retest.
During the 30-minute meeting, Pradhan reassured students that the government is taking steps to prevent such issues in future exams. Some students argued that it would be unfair to penalize those who did not cheat by requiring a retest, while others felt the irregularities were significant enough to warrant one.
Nearly 24 lakh students took the NEET-UG 2024 for undergraduate medical courses, conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 5. The results, announced on June 4, came ten days early but were soon overshadowed by allegations of question paper leaks and the awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 students. This led to protests and legal challenges, including in the Supreme Court.
Pradhan informed the students that the government would act based on the Supreme Court’s decision, with the Education Ministry having already presented its case. An affidavit submitted by the Centre on Wednesday stated that a comprehensive analysis found no large-scale malpractice or evidence of specific candidates benefiting from irregularities.
The Union government reiterated its stance against holding a retest, arguing that doing so based on “unsubstantiated suspicions” would unfairly burden nearly 24 lakh students. Instead, the Centre plans to begin the counselling process for NEET-UG admissions in the third week of July, conducted in four phases. Any candidate found to have benefited from irregularities will have their counselling cancelled.
The affidavit, based on data analysis by IIT Madras experts, revealed an overall increase in marks, particularly in the range of 550 to 720, across various cities and centres. The Centre attributed this rise to a 25% reduction in the syllabus.
During a Monday hearing, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud expressed reluctance to order a retest for nearly 24 lakh students, many from poor families who could not afford travel expenses, unless absolutely necessary. “One thing is clear… questions were leaked. The sanctity of the exam has been compromised… this is beyond doubt. Now we have to establish the extent of the leak,” said Chief Justice Chandrachud.
The next hearing, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been deferred to July 18.
