The decision to award grace marks to 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates for MBBS, BDS, and other courses has been rescinded, the Center notified the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Now, on June 23, these candidates will have the chance to choose to retake the exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) and representatives from the Center presented this information before Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, who sit on a vacation bench. The admissions counseling process will not be discontinued, the court declared.
Retest Results and Counseling Dates Announced Amidst Ongoing NEET-UG 2024 Controversy
For the purposes of the results, the earlier marks—minus the grace marks—of the 1,563 candidates who do not want to retake the test will be used.
According to the Center, “the retest results will be announced on June 30 and the counseling for admission in the MBBS, BDS, and other courses will begin on July 6.”
The bench set a hearing date of July 8 for all the petitions, one of which was submitted by Alakh Pandey, the CEO of Physics Wallah, an EdTech company, concerning the awarding of grace marks, after considering the reasons put forth. These petitions also include requests to have NEET-UG 2024 canceled because of purportedly leaked question papers and other anomalies.
Also Read: ‘Sanctity of exam affected’: Supreme Court issues notice to NTA over NEET-UG paper row
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Denies NEET-UG 2024 Paper Leak Allegations Amidst Legal Challenges
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated, according to PTI, that there is “no evidence of a paper leak in NEET-UG” and that no student will be at a disadvantage.
“I want the parents and students to know that the Indian government and NTA are dedicated to giving them justice.” The NEET exam was successfully completed by 24 lakh students. No evidence has turned out to date, and there isn’t a paper leak. About 1560 pupils used a court-recommended model, and a panel of academicians was established to oversee it.We’ll abide by the court’s decision,” Pradhan continued.
On May 5, the NTA administered the exam at 4,750 locations, and almost 24 lakh people took it. Although the results were expected on June 14, they were finally announced on June 4, most likely as a result of accelerated answer sheet reviews.
Allegations of question paper leaks and the awarding of honor rolls to more than 1,500 applicants for medical school have sparked demonstrations and legal actions in seven high courts as well as the Supreme Court.
Perfect Scores by Six Faridabad Students Raise Concerns of Irregularities; Protests and Investigations Demanded
Six students from a center in Faridabad, Haryana, made the list of pupils who achieved a perfect 720, which is unique in the history of the NTA and raised questions about irregularities.
On June 10, a large number of students demonstrated in Delhi to demand an investigation into purported anomalies. It has been claimed that grace marks played a part in 67 students sharing the top spot.
For admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other courses linked to government and private universities across the country, the NTA administers the NEET-UG exam.
