After the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 were released, students highlighted the inflated marks and alleged malpractices in the conduct of exams. Around 67 candidates have bagged top rank in the exam. Of these, around six candidates had appeared for the exam from the same centre in Haryana. Questions are also being raised on students getting 718 and 719 marks (out of 720) in the undergraduate medical entrance exam as the marking scheme follows +4 -1 system. Parents of some of the protesting students filed a complaint before Additional Deputy Commissioner Jind demanding investigation in the alleged irregularities in NEET exam.
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“I gave a written complaint to local administration when I noticed eight toppers from same centre of Jhajjar (in Haryana). Some students from the centre were given grace marks that makes the news fishy,” said Dr Krishan Sharma.
Dr Sharma, whose daughter is among the affected students, said the future of thousands of students are stressed. He added that parents like him have now decided to approach the Supreme Court “for the future of these students”.
Additional Deputy Commission (Jind) Dr Harish Vashishth said he has received complaints about irregularities in NEET exam.
“We will keep the higher authorities informed, it’s upto them if they want to take any action. I am sure they would redress the problems of the students,” Mr Vashishth told NDTV.
Students, meanwhile, are heartbroken. “I now see darkness ahead (in the future),” Nandani, one of the NEET aspirants, told NDTV.
“I never thought my rank would go so low. I also learnt that some student from same centre got high marks – that is not accepted,” said another student, Tushar.
Others like Shivanshi are demanding that the exam should be held again. And all of them are demanding a thorough investigation in the matter.
However, the National testing Agency (NTA) has denied irregularities and said the changes made in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres are some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks.
“Such cases and representations were considered by NTA and the normalisation formula, which has been devised and adopted by Supreme Court, vide its Judgment dated 13.06.2018, was implemented to address the loss of time faced by the candidates of NEET (UG) 2024,” the agency said in a statement.
“The loss of examination time was ascertained and such candidates were compensated with grace marks. So, there marks can be 718 or 719 also,” the statement further said.
NEET (UG) was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad.
Several NEET aspirants and their parents have filed complaints over students receiving near-perfect score in the exam.