New Delhi: Alakh Pandey, the Chief Executive of EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah’, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) alleged arbitrary award of grace marks to more than 1,500 candidates who appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The NEET-UG exam is crucial for admissions to MBBS, BDS, and various other courses.
The Supreme Court, addressing concerns over the integrity of the NEET-UG 2024, has sought responses from the Central Government and the NTA in response to another plea requesting a re-conduct of the exam due to alleged question paper leaks and other irregularities.
Advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Alakh Pandey, requested urgent listing of the plea before a vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah on Tuesday. The bench advised approaching the apex court registry for further action.
“We represent Alakh Pandey, who has gathered signatures from approximately 20,000 students indicating discrepancies in the award of grace marks, totaling up to 70 to 80 marks for at least 1,500 students. Our petition challenges the arbitrary nature of these grace marks,” stated lawyer Sai Deepak.
The petition contests the NTA’s decision to grant grace marks due to purported loss of time during the exam, with proceedings yet to be scheduled for hearing.
Conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centers, the NEET-UG 2024 saw participation from around 24 lakh candidates, with results initially slated for June 14 but announced earlier on June 4 following expedited evaluation.
According to the plea, the NTA’s clarification on the grace marks came in response to queries regarding the assignment of 718/719 marks out of a total of 720, which raised technical concerns under the marking scheme.
The petition calls for an independent, high-powered committee to thoroughly investigate the conduct of the exam, questioning the basis and policy behind the grace marks awarded, differing from previous years’ practices by the NTA.
Filed on June 1, the plea stems from a Bihar police investigation into an alleged question paper leak, with concerns raised over 67 students achieving a perfect score of 720, including six from a center in Haryana’s Faridabad, suggesting irregularities.
In Delhi, protests by students on June 10 demanded an inquiry into these alleged irregularities, attributing the sharing of top ranks by 67 students to the grace marks awarded.
In response to another plea filed by 10 students, including Shivangi Mishra, seeking intervention, the Supreme Court declined to halt the counseling process for successful candidates but has scheduled further hearings for July 8, after the conclusion of the summer vacation starting May 20.
The NEET-UG exam, managed by the NTA, serves as a gateway for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other allied courses in government and private institutions nationwide.
