NEET Results Row Doctors Extend Support To Aspirants: The medical community has voiced its support for NEET candidates, with doctors now addressing the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to call for thorough investigations into the claims of exam paper leakage.

Raising these issues, IMA JDN has now written to the Chairperson of NTA, the authority responsible for conducting the NEET UG exam, and the Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC), Dr. B.N. Gangadhar.

In the letter, IMA JDN highlighted that some students in NEET UG 2024 scored 718 and 719 marks, calling it "statistically questionable." It is worth noting that according to the NEET marking scheme, every candidate receives 4 marks for each correct answer and 1 mark is deducted for each incorrect answer. Therefore, after the full marks of 720, candidates can only secure 716 marks if they leave one answer unattempted. Similarly, a candidate would get 715 marks if they answer one question incorrectly.

Earlier, defending the scorecards of candidates securing 718 or 719 marks, NTA clarified that grace marks were awarded to several candidates to compensate for the loss of time during the exam.

However, addressing this issue, IMA JDN stated in the letter, "There has been no defined logic for the grace marks given to these students. No list has been shared as per given grace marks to students."

"The provision for grace marks due to time wastage should have been disclosed in the information bulletin before the exam. Why has the National Testing Agency introduced this new rule after the examination?" the letter added.

It further noted that many students received different marks on their scorecards compared to their OMR sheets. Referring to these instances, IMA JDN mentioned in the letter, "These discrepancies were not due to grace marks, as these students were not from the centers where grace marks were purportedly given."

Addressing the fact that this year a total of 67 students secured All India Rank 1, the letter further added, "A total of 67 students scored a perfect 720 out of 720, which is highly questionable. This has never happened before. Usually, only three to four students score perfect marks. Also, six or seven of these students, out of the 67, come from just one center in Haryana."

This year, NEET results were scheduled to be published on June 14. However, the results were released on June 4, 2024. Referring to this, IMA JDN mentioned in the letter, "Results were declared prematurely on a day when the media was occupied with broadcasting the results of general elections. What is the reason for this urgency?"

The association also addressed the issue of high cut-off marks and mentioned, "There has been an unprecedented increase in the cut-off. The All India Rank of the same score has increased three to four times compared to previous NEET examinations."

Also Read: How Many NEET 2024 Candidates Received Grace Marks? What Were the Rules? RTI Seeks Answer from NTA

NEET Paper Leak Scam:

This year, the exam was marred by controversies after a paper leak scam was revealed in Bihar. Around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the NEET UG exam paper leak. Patna police sources previously claimed that the NEET UG question papers, along with their answers, were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the exam on May 5, 2024.

Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam charged between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each medical aspirant in exchange for the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Addressing these allegations of paper leak, IMA JDN added in the letter, "The NEET 2024 paper was leaked in many locations, but why has no action been taken yet?"

Apart from IMA JDN, the All India Medical Students' Association (AIMSA) has also extended its support to the NEET aspirants. "Recently, results of NEET 2024 conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) were declared. Students who appeared for the exam are doubting the irregularities noted in the results!" the letter by AIMSA, addressed to the NTA Chairperson, mentioned.

The association highlighted that the NEET paper was leaked, but no appropriate action has been taken yet. It also pointed out that nearly sixty-seven students scored 720/720, "which is unusual."

"Some students scored 718/720, 719/720, which is technically not possible. The provision for grace marks due to time wastage should have been disclosed in the information bulletin so that all students could have utilized this provision in similar situations," the association mentioned.

AIMSA stated that trust in the authorities conducting the exam is in doubt among its stakeholders. Demanding a proper investigation, it added in the letter, "We request a fair investigation into the above-mentioned irregularities and regarding the NEET 2024 paper leak, as the future careers of thousands of students are at stake!"

Plea in HC and Supreme Court:

Addressing these issues, Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed before the Supreme Court and the Patna High Court, seeking a fresh exam and a CBI probe into the issue. In the recent plea filed before the Supreme Court, the candidates raised the issue of the paper leak and the integrity of the test, while seeking an order for conducting a fresh examination.

It has been alleged in the plea that the NEET-UG test held on May 5 was riddled with malpractices as various instances of paper leaks came to the petitioners' knowledge. The alleged paper leak of NEET was violative of Article 14 (right to equality) under the Constitution as it gave an undue advantage to some candidates over others who chose to attempt the examination fairly.