Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET Exam), Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday reassured students and parents of a transparent investigation into the alleged irregularities. Pradhan emphasized that there would be no injustice towards the students, urging them not to worry.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan held a meeting with several students who appeared for the NEET exam, along with their parents. Addressing their concerns, he affirmed, “The government assures the students that full transparency will be adopted in the probe into alleged irregularities and re-conducting the NEET exams. The students do not need to worry.”
He added, “Students who wanted to meet us today, I called them, their parents also came, I met them. I heard their side and I made them feel better. The government is committed, and all students should have this assurance that a transparent process will be followed. 24 lakh students were the applicants, and 23.30 lakh students have taken the exam, this is natural, whatever doubts come to their minds, some issues came to mind that some irregularities in the centre were noticed, due to lack of time for grace marks, some objections were raised in the formula used for giving grace marks, that was also rectified.”
Addressing concerns over exam irregularities, Pradhan clarified on Thursday that there had been “no paper leak” in the NEET-UG examination, and the government is prepared to provide answers to the Supreme Court, which is currently reviewing the petitions related to the exam. “I want to assure the students and their parents that the Government of India and NTA are committed to providing justice to them. Twenty-four lakh students have successfully taken the NEET examination. There is no paper leak, no proof has been found yet. A court-recommended model was adopted for around 1560 students and a panel of academicians has been formed for the same…We will accept the verdict of the Court,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that the scorecards of 1,563 candidates who received “grace marks” in the 2024 NEET-UG exam will be annulled, giving those candidates a chance to reappear for the exam. The NTA stated that a committee had been established to review the results of these candidates who were awarded grace marks to compensate for lost time during the exam. “The Committee has decided to cancel the scorecards of 1563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates who were given grace marks and these students will be given the option to take a re-test,” NTA stated. The re-exam is scheduled for June 23, with results expected before June 30.
The Supreme Court has reiterated that NEET-UG counselling will proceed as planned and will not be halted. “Counselling will go on and we will not stop it. If the exam goes, then everything goes in totality, so there is nothing to fear,” said the Supreme Court, which will hear the related petitions on July 8.
Multiple petitions have been filed in the apex court seeking a recall of the NEET-UG 2024 results and a fresh examination, citing allegations of paper leaks and malpractices during the test held on May 5. The May 5 exam, administered by the NTA across 4,750 centres for nearly 24 lakh students, has come under scrutiny over these allegations. An unprecedented 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, further fuelling concerns.
Opposition parties have also been vocal, with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge criticizing the central government over the alleged “scam” in the NEET-UG examinations. Kharge claimed that beyond grace marks, there have been issues of rigging and corruption, with exam centres and coaching centres allegedly involved in malpractice. “The future of 24 lakh students appearing in the NEET examination is at stake due to the actions of the Modi government,” Kharge wrote on ‘X’. He demanded a Supreme Court-supervised investigation into the entire NEET issue and compensation for affected students.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is a crucial step for students seeking admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.