On July 23, 2024, the Supreme Court of India conducted a hearing regarding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024, amidst ongoing controversies surrounding alleged paper leaks and discrepancies in the examination results. The court was tasked with deciding whether to cancel the exam or require a re-test for specific candidates.
The Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that there will be no re-test for the 2024 NEET exam. They explained that there was no evidence of widespread cheating or that the integrity of the exam had been compromised, despite two localized leaks of the question paper.
The court acknowledged that the question paper had indeed been leaked, which is accepted as a fact. However, they stated that currently, there is “no evidence” to suggest that this led to widespread cheating or compromised the integrity of the exam as a whole. They emphasized that the available data does not indicate a widespread leak of the question paper that would undermine the credibility of the exam.
Court Hearing
During the hearing, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud examined over 40 petitions, including those from students demanding a re-examination and questioning the integrity of the results. The court had previously acknowledged that a paper leak had occurred in Bihar, but it focused on determining the extent of this leak and its impact on the overall examination.
The court instructed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to release detailed, city-wise results while safeguarding candidates’ identities. CJI Chandrachud emphasised that for the exam to be cancelled, there must be clear evidence that the leak was systemic and affected the entire examination process.
The court stated that, “The court is mindful of the fact directing a fresh exam would have serious consequences on students, including destruction of admission schedule, effects on education, and impact on availability of medical professionals in the future.”
The court also pointed to a “serious disadvantage to marginalised students.”
What Controversy?
The NEET UG 2024 exam, held on May 5, 2024, faced scrutiny after its results were announced on June 4, 2024, ten days earlier than scheduled. The results raised eyebrows due to a bizarrely high number of students achieving perfect scores of 720 out of 720, prompting allegations of malpractice. Many candidates were also reported to have received grace marks, which led to further discontent among students and parents.
Question Paper Scam
The NEET UG 2024 exam faced significant controversy this year following the exposure of a paper leak scandal in Bihar. Approximately 13 individuals, including four candidates and their relatives, were apprehended for their suspected involvement in the scam.
Patna police sources previously claimed that NEET-UG question papers—with answers—were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the exam on May 5. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, disclosed that brokers involved in the scam charged between ₹30 lahks and ₹50 lakhs from each medical aspirant in exchange for the leaked question papers.
Responding to these accusations, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Supreme Court, urging a halt on the exam results. Despite the Apex Court declining to suspend the results, it agreed to deliberate on the issue and issued a notice regarding the PIL, which advocated for the re-conducting of the NEET UG exams due to alleged irregularities and a paper leak.
Grace Marks and Ambiguous Questions
The NTA awarded grace marks to some candidates, particularly the 44 toppers who scored 720/720, due to an ambiguous physics question that had two correct answers according to an old NCERT textbook. This decision led to a significant reshuffling of ranks.
Protests have erupted across India following the NEET UG 2024 results, primarily due to allegations of irregularities, including a reported paper leak and the controversial awarding of grace marks
But unfortunately, after massive social media outrage and offline protests, the Supreme Court has announced the cancellation of the re-exam. FoEJ Media talked to the students to hear their view on the verdict.
“Who will be Responsible for My Loss?”
Ankita Dhussa, who hails from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, talked to FoEJ Media over a phone call and told how disappointed she was after hearing the verdict of the Supreme Court.
“Who will be responsible for my loss?” she said. Dhussa prepared for the NEET exam for three long years and spent Rs. 1,50,000 on her preparations. She went through an operation during her preparation period, but she did not give up. “I had my operation; I prepared and studied while in pain,” Dhussa said.
Dhussa belongs to a middle-class family, and her father owns a small business, but he had dreams to see a doctor added to her daughter’s name. Dhussa told FoEJ that her father worked hard and deposited her fee. “My father worked hard to earn more and deposit my coaching fee,” she told FoEJ.
In the year 2022, she migrated to Kota, Rajasthan, for better studies, stayed there for 10 months, and prepared for 8 hours daily. “I went to Kota, studied 7-8 hours daily, but what’s the use now?” Dhussa added.
She further told FoEJ that she scored 610 marks and expected a decent medical college, but she was shattered after seeing the result. “I scored 610 marks, expecting a decent college, but the cutoff shattered my hopes,” she added.
“…Classmates are About to End their college, and I’m just 12th Pass”
Another Neet aspirant, Radhika Singh (named changed), told FoEJ Media that she spent 2 years on preparation and was expecting a decent dentistry college, but the unexpected cutoff took away her dreams. She further told FoEJ Media that she studied for 6 hours daily for two years and scored 510 marks.
“I prepared for two years and scored well, but I’m ending up not getting my dream college,” singh said.
“I cannot afford another year; all my classmates are about to end their college, and I’m just 12th grade,” she added.
On being asked about the mental trauma, Singh told FoEJ that she saw a therapist for eight months and was diagnosed with clinical depression. Singh said she had a tough year, but the cutoffs were tougher.
“I was diagnosed with clinical depression; I had a tough year, and results added to it,” Singh said.
In 2024, a total of 2,333,297 candidates appeared for the NEET (National Eligibility and Entrance Test) examination. This number reflects a significant increase from the previous year, when 2,038,596 candidates participated.
The registration for NEET 2024 reached approximately 2,406,079, with a gender breakdown showing 1,029,198 male candidates and 1,376,863 female candidates, along with a small number of transgender candidates. The exam was conducted on May 5, 2024, and the participation rate was over 96%, indicating strong engagement among registered candidates.
