NTA sets up panel to review NEET 2024 result row

New Delhi [India], June 8 : The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday set up a committee to review the grace marks awarded to NEET UG 2024 candidates amid allegations of mark inflation.
The Ministry of Education established a committee to review the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates. Several candidates alleged that the inflation of marks has resulted in 67 candidates securing the top rank, including six from the same exam centre in Haryana.
Amid allegations raised by the Opposition leaders on the conduct of the 2024 NEET examination, the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Subodh Kumar Singh said, "They (the committee) will meet soon and they will be able to submit their recommendation within a week."
Meanwhile, amid allegations raised by the Opposition leaders on the conduct of the 2024 NEET examination, Kumar denied any paper leak, stating issues were limited to six centres and affected only 1,600 out of 24 lakh candidates. He assured the overall integrity of the exam was maintained.
"The integrity of this examination was not compromised throughout the country. There was no paper leak. The whole exam process has been very transparent," Kumar Singh said in a press conference here.
Many leaders including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi expressed apprehension about the conduct of the 2024 NEET exam.
In response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the NEET UG 2024 results, Singh said, "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."
Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday, urged all the state governments to come forward to eradicate NEET exam "discrepancies" and raise their voices against "injustice".
While criticising the conduct of entrance exams, he reiterated that NEET and other entrance examinations are anti-poor. They undermine federal polity and impact the availability of doctors in deserving areas.
In a post to X, MK Stalin wrote, "Trends emerging from the latest #NEET results have once again vindicated our principled opposition to the exam. Issues such as question paper leaks, clustering of toppers at specific centres, and award of marks, which are mathematically impossible, under the guise of grace marks highlight the pitfalls of the current Union Government's centralisation.
"These events emphasise the need to restore the preeminence of State governments' and school education system's role in determining criteria for professional course selection. We reiterate that NEET and other entrance examinations are anti-poor, they undermine federal polity, impact the availability of doctors in deserving areas and are against social justice.
"Let's join hands to eradicate this malady. That day is not far!"
Earlier, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Junior Doctors Network has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024.
This criticism came after the buzz of controversies came to light regarding the conduct and the declaration of the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).In a recent NEET result declaration, 67 students bagged the top rank, including six from the same exam centre. She further demanded the government to investigate the matter properly by resolving students 'legitimate complaints'.
However, the National Testing Agency (NTA) denied any irregularities and attributed record results to several factors, including an easier exam, a surge in registrations, a question with two correct answers, and grace marks due to a 'loss of examination time'.
A total of 20.38 lakh students registered for the exam, out of which 11.45 lakh candidates qualified. The result was announced on Tuesday and 67 students have achieved an All India Rank (AIR) 1.