NEET-UG 2024: Supreme Court Receives Petition Demanding Re-ranking, Re-evaluation of OMR Sheets, and Investigation into Alleged Irregularities

The Supreme Court on Saturday received another petition under Article 32 amidst the alleged controversies surrounding the 2024 NEET UG examination. Eight candidates who took the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test on May 5 have filed for a comprehensive re-evaluation of all OMR answer sheets, demanding a re-ranking of candidates and a court-monitored investigation. The petition alleges several irregularities attributed to the National Testing Agency.

Among the alleged discrepancies cited, students reportedly received different scores on their official scorecards compared to their OMR answer sheets. These discrepancies, the petitioners claim, were not due to grace marks, particularly highlighting cases from centers where no such marks were officially granted. Furthermore, concerns have been raised over an unusual increase in cut-off and average marks, resulting in an unprecedented 67 candidates achieving a perfect score of 720/720 and occupying top ranks, a number significantly higher than usual.

The petition also points out that six of these top scorers hail from the same exam center in Haryana, raising suspicions of favoritism or procedural lapses. Statistical anomalies were noted with some candidates scoring 718 and 719 marks, which the petitioners argue is statistically improbable.

In addition, the petition challenges the lack of transparency regarding the criteria for granting compensatory marks for time loss during the exam. It criticizes the NTA for introducing rules on grace marks post-examination without prior disclosure in the exam bulletin, which has sparked doubts about the integrity of the results.

In response to mounting pressure, the NTA recently addressed a separate petition challenging the allocation of grace marks to 1563 candidates. The agency stated that these grace marks would be withdrawn, giving candidates the option to accept their scores without them or opt for a re-test.

The Supreme Court, represented by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, issued a notice on the petition on June 14, indicating a serious consideration of the allegations. This development follows another recent petition seeking a CBI inquiry into alleged instances of paper leaks during the NEET UG Exam. The court has scheduled the next hearing on all NEET-UG 2024 related petitions for July 14.