NEET-UG is perhaps India’s biggest undergrad admission test. This is so because millions of people appear for it. The national testing agency conducts this exam. The alleged NEET exam paper leak has obviously sent shockwaves across the country. The saddest part is that it has left not only students but also parents and experts in utter disbelief!
The NEET 2024 aspirants are facing a crisis due to this. The integrity of the exam is under scrutiny after reports of the paper leak. This serves as a reminder of a larger problem in India’s education system. This blog explores the NEET’s latest news, the controversy, the investigation, and the potential consequences for those involved.
Table of Contents
Paper Leak and Use of Unfair Means
NEET-UG exam was conducted on 5 May 2024. On the same day, many social media posts claimed that the exam questions had been leaked in advance. The NTA refused to accept these allegations. It issued a public notice stating that an incorrect distribution of papers had occurred in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.
Some students had left the examination centre despite the invigilators’ efforts to stop them. The notice emphasised this as an ‘isolated incident’. They maintained their stance against the claims of other centres being compromised. The NTA reconducted the exam for those 120 candidates who had taken the exam at that particular centre.
However, it was also claimed that the paper was leaked a day before the actual exam was conducted in Patna, Bihar. On 5 May 2024, a few hours before the exam, a whistle-blower informed Patna police about a scandal regarding the examination. The police registered an FIR under sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested 13 people, including four examinees.
Investigation and Findings
On 11 May 2024, the Economic Offences Unit of Bihar Police took over the case after discovering the involvement of several organised gangs. The EOU found that some medical aspirants had paid large sums of money, ranging from ₹30 to ₹50 lakhs, to brokers involved in the racket to obtain the question paper before the examination.
Amid allegations of the NEET exam paper leak, a candidate from Samastipur, Bihar, confessed to receiving the leaked question paper from his uncle a day before the examination. Anurag Yadav, a candidate, stated in his confession letter to Patna police that his uncle gave him the NEET question paper and NEET answer key on the night of May 4, 2024.
Along with this, mastermind Amit Anand also confessed. He admitted to orchestrating the leak and disclosed that candidates were provided with the leaked paper and the NEET answer keys for a price range starting from ₹30 lakhs. His confession further revealed that burnt remains of the question paper and answer key were discovered at his residence, solidifying evidence against him. This incident made way for several other arrests.
Result Scrutiny
The results of the exam were announced on 4 June 2024. This was ten days earlier than they were originally scheduled for. A total of 67 students secured perfect scores which was significantly higher than in previous examinations, which raised controversy. Many students secured scores of 718 or 719, which the students argued was mathematically impossible under the exam marking scheme.
The NTA later clarified that 1563 examinees, including six top scorers from the same centre, were awarded compensatory marks for lost time. However, after the intervention of the Supreme Court, the NTA decided to withdraw the grace marks. They decided to hold the examination again for those 1563 candidates on 23 June 2024. Out of these, 813 students took the retest.
Legal Proceedings
Many petitions were filed in the High Courts of different states and the Supreme Court of India regarding multiple issues in relation to the conduct of this examination. On 17 May 2024, the Supreme Court denied the petition to withhold the declaration of exam results. The court refused to stay the counselling process, which was scheduled to commence on July 6.
On June 13 2024, the Supreme Court of India allowed the cancellation of the scorecards of the 1563 candidates who were given grace marks and ordered a re-test for those candidates.
On July 8, the Supreme Court observed that the exam was compromised by a paper leak. The court said that the decision to conduct a re-examination cannot be taken before knowing whether it is a widespread leak or an isolated incident. It also ordered the CBI to submit a report of the investigation status before the hearing, which was on July 11.
Response of NTA
The NTA initially denied the allegations of the paper leak, acknowledging only the Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan case. The NTA then conducted an investigation into the paper leak allegations. Soon, they released a public notice declaring these claims to be ‘completely baseless and without any ground.’ On 6 June 2024, the NTA issued an official clarification notice refuting the suspicions of a paper leak and justified the early results declaration.
On 8 June 2024, the NTA and the Ministry of Education took action. They formed a four-member committee to investigate the results of the 1563 students who were given grace marks. NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh denied any irregularities in the results during the conference. He explained that the grace marks and a relatively easier paper were the reasons for the 67 top rankers.
Response from the Government
The Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, on 13 June 2024, rejected the allegations of a paper. He called them baseless, stating that the ‘allegations of corruption in the NTA are unfounded.’ On 19 June 2024, the Education Ministry cancelled the UGC-NET examination, following inputs from the I4C suggesting that the exam’s integrity may have been compromised.
However, on 20 June, in a press conference, Minister Pradhan revealed that the exam paper had been leaked on the Darknet. Addressing the NEET issue, he took moral responsibility for the loof of faith among students. In relation to the exam cancellation, he emphasised that the future of many aspirants from rural areas should not be held back due to isolated incidents.
He also announced that a high-level committee would be formed to look after the structure and functioning of the NTA. On 22 June 2024, the government postponed the NEET-PG examination as a precaution. On the same day, it also laid off the NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh from his position. The case related to the NEET exam paper leak was then handed to the CBI.
Looking Ahead
More information about the NEET UG 2024 misconduct is unfolding every day. This raises questions about the implications for India’s education system. The Supreme Court’s involvement in the case shows the need for transparency and accountability in conducting national-level entrance exams.
Those who are affected by this are waiting for the next steps. The focus is on ensuring justice for all affected parties while upholding the integrity of educational assessments.
As of now, the Supreme Court hearing on NEET exam paper leak and other issues has been deferred to July 18, 2024. The future of so many medical students and the future of NEET will hang in the balance.
NEET-UG is the most prominent exam in India for medical students. But even so, it is not considered among the hardest exams in the whole world. Read more about them and see if they deserve their reputation or not.
FAQs
The student’s age should be at least 17 as of 31 December, in the same year as NEET. However, there is no provision for any upper age limit for the same.
The NEET 2024 question paper was posted online at around 4 PM. The reason this happened was because some students took their question papers out of the exam hall.
There is no clear information about the basis for the grace marks given to those 1563 candidates.
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