NEET UG Exam 2024 SC Hearing Highlights: The Supreme Court today announced that there will be no re-test for the NEET UG 2024 exam, despite acknowledging systemic deficiencies in the conduct of the exam. On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) confirmed to the Supreme Court that a paper leak had occurred at the Hazaribagh center. A CBI officer reported that some gadgets used by the involved gang were burnt, while others were recovered yesterday and are now under investigation.
Additionally, the CJI mentioned on Tuesday that they had received a report from IIT Delhi, led by Director Prof. Banerjee, confirming that option 4 is the correct answer for the disputed question. The Court has accepted the IIT Delhi report, and the National Testing Agency (NTA) will re-tally the NEET UG results based on this finding.
On Monday, the apex court directed the Director of IIT-Delhi to set up a team of three experts to examine a specific Physics question from the NEET-UG 2024 examination and submit a report on the correct answer by Tuesday noon. The court’s order to IIT Delhi to establish a team of three domain experts to address this issue came at the end of a day-long hearing on a batch of petitions. These petitions include requests for a re-test of the NEET-UG due to allegations of a question paper leak and other malpractices.
NEET UG 2024 highlights : Supreme Court hears pleas on controversy-ridden NEET-UG exam today. Follow real-time updates from the hearing here!
In a notable shift in NEET-UG performance, over 2,300 candidates scored above 700 out of 720, with these high achievers spread across 1,404 centers, including many in non-traditional tuition hubs. This year’s medical entrance exam saw a record 23.33 lakh students participating, with 2,321 candidates achieving scores of 700 or higher.
These top scorers were distributed across 276 cities, spanning 25 states and Union Territories, and some international centers. In contrast, NEET-2023 had a more concentrated distribution of high scores: those scoring between 700 to 720 were spread across 116 cities and 310 centers, while scores of 650 to 699 appeared in 381 cities and 2,431 centers. Scores between 600 to 649 were noted in 464 cities and 3,434 centers.
Officials noted that while traditional tuition hubs like Sikar, Kota, and Kottayam continue to produce high scorers, there is a significant number of high achievers from other cities as well. This trend suggests that aligning the NEET syllabus more closely with higher secondary curricula is yielding positive results.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has submitted an additional affidavit to the Supreme Court addressing allegations of conflict of interest related to the data analytics report for NEET-UG 2024. According to legal news website LiveLaw, the NTA refutes claims that IIT-Madras Director, who prepared the report, had a conflict of interest.
The NTA clarified that the Director of IIT-Madras, which is responsible for conducting JEE (Advanced) 2024, serves as an ex-officio member of the NTA Governing Body. However, the NTA’s core functions are managed by its Managing Committee, with the Governing Body focusing solely on policy matters. Additionally, the IIT Director who prepared the report has not participated in any NTA General Body meetings since December 2022.
In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Union government stated that there is no evidence of widespread cheating or specific groups of candidates unfairly benefiting from abnormal scores in the NEET-UG 2024 exam. The government also revealed that the Ministry of Education has requested IIT Madras to perform a comprehensive data analysis of the NEET-UG 2024 results.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam, administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), was held on May 5 for 23.33 lakh students across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 international locations. This entrance test is crucial for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across the country.
In the July 18 hearing, the Supreme Court scrutinised allegations surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The Court questioned the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) claim that the exam paper was allegedly leaked, solved, and memorized by students within just 45 minutes. One of the petitioners’ lawyers raised concerns about a syllabus increase announced only months before the exam and alleged mishandling of question papers in Hazaribag.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud emphasised that petitioners must demonstrate that any potential paper leak was systemic and impacted the entire examination to justify cancellation. He stated that any call for a re-examination must be based on clear evidence that the integrity of the test was compromised, according to LiveLaw.
Complying with Supreme Court directives, the National Testing Agency (NTA) released individual scores for over 23.5 lakh NEET-UG 2024 candidates on Saturday. Candidates can now view their city- and center-specific results on the official websites: exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/ and neet.ntaonline.in.
The NEET-UG 2024 exam results reveal notable variability across centers, even amidst ongoing controversies. Over 2,000 candidates from Sikar centers achieved scores above 650 marks, while more than 4,000 secured scores exceeding 600 marks. The National Testing Agency (NTA) released results for over 23 lakh candidates from 4,750 centers in a drop-down menu format, following Supreme Court directives. Despite concerns about irregularities and paper leaks, the performance at various centers highlights significant discrepancies, showcasing a range of outcomes across different locations.
More than 11,000 NEET-UG candidates have recorded zero or negative marks in the controversial 2024 medical entrance exam.
The lowest score reported is -180 from a center in Bihar.
– Zero marks: Over 2,250 candidates
– Negative marks : Over 9,400 candidates
– Jharkhand scrutiny: Several candidates from a center in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, have reported scores below zero.
Correct answers earn four marks, incorrect answers deduct one mark, and unattempted questions do not affect scores.
The Supreme Court has declined to defer the NEET 2024 counselling process for now, stating that the matter will be revisited on Monday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta noted that counselling is expected to begin around July 24 and will span two to three months.
The CBI has made three additional arrests in connection with the NEET-UG leak case — two medical students from Rajasthan and one of the alleged masterminds, The Indian Express reported.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Kumar Manglam Bishnoi and Deependra Kumar, both students from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur Medical College, and Shashi Kumar Paswan alias Paasu, a B.Tech (electronic engineering) graduate from NIT Jamshedpur.
Bishnoi, a second-year medical student, and Deependra Kumar, a first-year student, were identified as part of the “solver module” and were among those who solved the NEET-UG paper that was eventually leaked and circulated. Paswan has been named as one of the main accused and “masterminds” in the case and is believed to have worked closely with Rockey and Kumar, two others previously arrested.
The Supreme Court is set to resume hearing the NEET UG exam paper leak matter today, in which the court is expected to declare a verdict on re-exam. The bench comprising Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra will hear NEET petitions today at 10:30 am.