New Delhi: The Ministry of Education, and the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday established a four-member committee to review the grace marks awarded to over 1500 NEET UG 2024 candidates following allegations of mark inflation.
The committee headed by a former UPSC Chairman the committee is expected to submit its recommendations within a week. This move comes after several candidates alleged that the inflation of marks has resulted in 67 candidates achieving the top rank, with six of them reportedly from the same exam center in Haryana.
In response to allegations raised regarding the conduct of the 2024 NEET examination, Subodh Kumar Singh clarified that no paper leak occurred and that issues were confined to six specific centers, affecting only 1,600 out of the 24 lakh candidates. He emphasised that the overall integrity of the examination was upheld and reassured that the NTA is taking necessary steps to ensure fairness in the evaluation process.
“Our committee met and they perused all the details of the centres and the CCTVs… They found out that at some centres the time was lost and the students should be compensated for that… The committee thought they could address the grievances and compensate the students. So the marks of some students were increased. Due to that, the concerns of some students have surfaced because certain candidates got 718 and 719 marks and 6 candidates became toppers… We have analysed all things carefully and released the results. Out of 4750 centres, this problem was limited to 6 centres. And out of 24 lakh students, only 1600 students faced the issue,” Singh said.
#WATCH | Delhi: On NEET issue, NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh says, “Our committee met and they perused all the details of the centres and the CCTVs… They found out that at some centres the time was lost and the students should be compensated for that… The committee thought they… pic.twitter.com/LaVhlwF1eQ
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2024
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Junior Doctors Network had called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024. The IMA urged the government to address and resolve the students’ legitimate complaints through a thorough investigation.
Despite the allegations, the NTA dismissed any claims of irregularities. The NTA attributed the record results to multiple factors, including a relatively easier exam, a substantial increase in registrations, a question with two correct answers, and grace marks granted due to a loss of examination time.
This year, out of the 20.38 lakh students who registered for NEET, 11.45 lakh candidates qualified. The results, announced on Tuesday, saw 67 students achieve an All India Rank (AIR) 1, which has further fueled the ongoing debate and scrutiny.
