 "Supreme Court")
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a strong reprimand to the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical college admissions exam, stating any irregularity, however small, must be dealt with.
“If there’s even 0.001 per cent negligence on anyone’s part, it should be thoroughly dealt with,” the Supreme Court emphasised during a hearing on alleged irregularities in the exam.
The bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice SVN Bhatti, insisted on timely action from the NTA, stressing that the agency must ensure fair treatment for all candidates.
“As an agency conducting the examination, you must act fair. If there is a mistake, acknowledge it and take corrective action. At least that inspires confidence in your performance,” the bench said. They also highlighted the significant efforts students put into preparing for one of the country’s toughest entrance exams.
“Imagine a person who has played fraud on the system becomes a doctor; he is more deleterious to society. Children study hard to get through NEET,” the Court said.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 8.
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NEET grace marks controversy and re-test
The NEET exam, taken by 2.4 million students on May 5, faced allegations of a paper leak shortly after the results were declared on June 4, which saw 67 students achieving perfect scores of 720/720. Grace marks had been given to some students allegedly to compensate for time lost at exam centres.
Last week, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates in the NEET-UG exam would be rescinded, with these candidates given the option to retake the exam on June 23.
The results of this re-test are to be declared before June 30. If any candidate opts out of the re-test, their original scores, minus the extra marks, will be reinstated.
NEET student protests and legal petitions
Numerous student organisations have protested against NEET irregularities, including issues like incorrect question papers, torn Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, and delays in sheet distribution.
Educationist Nitin Vijay, representing about 20,000 students, filed a petition demanding a fresh examination due to alleged paper leaks and discrepancies.
Advocate Dinesh Jotwani, representing a petitioner, said to news agency ANI, “Today, the judges were very clear and they addressed NTA - assist the court, don’t think that it is your client, don’t make it as an adversarial proceeding, this is not student vs NTA... They said, you [NTA] have to file a reply but be very clear that you have to assist the court in this.”
#WATCH | Advocate Dinesh Jotwani, representing a petitioner, says, "Today, the judges were very clear and they addressed NTA - assist the court, don't think that it is your client, don't make it as an adversarial proceeding, this is not student vs NTA, even if they find 0.001%… https://t.co/HAqyXVeIzg pic.twitter.com/AUbyLuGmEZ
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2024
The Supreme Court, acknowledging students’ efforts, has merged this petition with previous ones for a comprehensive hearing on July 8.
The Court has instructed the NTA not to overlook students' complaints and to rectify any genuine errors promptly.
Earlier hearings saw the Supreme Court issue a notice to the NTA but refused to halt the counseling process. Today’s decision is eagerly awaited by NEET candidates and stakeholders.
In addition, the Rajasthan High Court will hear a NEET-related petition today. Candidate Tanuja Yadav has claimed she received her exam paper 30 minutes late and was not given enough time to complete it, nor was she granted grace marks. Yadav is seeking a court order for the award of grace marks.
Political protests over NEET
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced a protest at Jantar Mantar concerning the NEET controversy. Scheduled for 10 am today, AAP’s MPs, MLAs, and councilors were scheduled to demonstrate against the government. AAP plans to extend its protests nationwide on June 19, targeting the Modi government.
#WATCH | Delhi | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holds protest against Union Government over NEET exam result issue, at Jantar Mantar pic.twitter.com/MbviAYlbsh
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2024
(With inputs from ANI)
