NEET-UG 2024 highlights | SC asks IIT Delhi Director to form expert panel to review ‘ambiguous’ question from Physics paper

The hearing will now resume tomorrow i.e. on July 23. The Centre and NTA will make their submissions. 

SC asks IIT Delhi Director to form a panel of three experts to examine a Physics question [Question 9] in NEET-UG 2024 with multiple correct answers. 

The expert panel is to determine the correct answer and revert to the court by July 23 noon. 

The order dictated is as follows – 

“As indicated in the question as framed of which students had to select one option as their answer. In order to resolve the issue as regards the correct answer, we are of the considered view that an expert opinion should be sought from IIT Delhi. We request the Director of IIT Delhi to constitute a team of three experts of the subject concerned. The expert team constituted by the Director is requested to formulate the opinion on the correct option and remit the opinion to the Registrar by 12 noon tomorrow. The Registrar General is requested to communicate the order to the IIT Delhi Director so that expeditious steps for the preparation of the opinion can be taken.” 

Bench hears petitioners who are opposing a re-examination. The Court is told that it will cause immense hardship and delay the timeline for admissions.

Petitioners refer to the Supreme Court’s verdict in Tanvi Sarwal vs Central Board Of Secondary Education(2015) wherein the court cancelled the All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Entrance Test, 2015, after finding that 44 candidates were beneficiaries of unfair means.

“We are aware, that the abrogation of the examination, would result in some inconvenience to all concerned and that same extra time would be consumed for holding a fresh examination with renewed efforts therefor. This however, according to us, is the price, the stakeholders would have to suffer in order to maintain the impeccable and irrefutable sanctity and credibility of a process of examination, to assess the innate worth and capability of the participating candidates for being assigned inter se merit positions commensurate to their performance based on genuine and sincere endeavours.” [Text from the verdict] 

Casting aspersions on the conduct of the NTA, Mr. Hedge points out that the agency initially denied that there was a leak. 

“NTA continued to deny the fact that there was a leak. NTA did not cooperate with the Bihar police. EOU (Economic Offences Unit) wrote to the NTA but they did not immediately respond”, he says. 

He points out that it was only after the SC started asking questions that the NTA started divulging data. 

Mr. Hedge requests that a re-test be ordered at least for all those who qualified.

Contending that the leak is widespread, Hedge says - “If the syllabus had been easy, then rising tide raises all boats together. In that magic zone above 650, there are more than 50,000 students. This is a huge red flag.” 

Mr. Hooda says that the ongoing CBI investigation is not confined to Patna and instead covers multiple states. He points out that the officials have not come to any conclusion that it was a localised leak. 

“Can we say everybody got marks which they were fairly entitled to? A competitive exam turning out 61 toppers cannot be trusted”, he adds. 

Senior advocate Sanjay Hedge commences his arguments on behalf of the petitioners. 

“Admittedly there has been a leak from Hazaribagh. It was caught at Patna. We do not know the extent of the leak”, he contends. 

He further points out that it is certain that the leak took place on the night of May 4th or prior to that.

Mr. Hooda concludes his submissions by asserting that the paper leak was a systemic failure and is not localised. 

“If this Court is not considering Re-NEET, at least qualified people should be asked to re-take the exam, which will be about 13 lakh people”, he adds. 

Mr. Hooda states that the paper leak took place through WhatsApp so it was impossible that it was confined only to Patna in Bihar. 

“Solvers were taken from Rajasthan. Dissemination was through WhatsApp. It is not possible that the leak is confined to Patna”, he adds. 

The Bench has reconvened. The hearing has resumed. 

The Bench has risen for lunch. The hearing will resume at 2 pm. 

CJI: Assuming so, can this be a ground to cancel the exam across the country or cancel the exam only in Sikar?

He asks how the petitioners would establish that incidents in Hazaribagh, etc, have spread across the country to show that it is a systemic failure. 

“Are you challenging the results of this NEET or are you supporting people who do not want NEET at all... You have to show us there is a systemic failure which has destroyed the sanctity of the exam”, the CJI adds. 

Mr. Hooda apprises the Court: “City coordinators are principals of these private schools which are exam centres and the invigilators are the employees of the school. It cannot be ruled out that the city coordinators have close links with the coaching centres in places like Sikar”. 

Mr. Hooda questions the ‘excellent’ results of Sikar students. He points out that out of 50 centres which have students with over 650 marks, 38 are in Sikar. 

He refers to the unusual “travels” of NEET aspirants from places like Godhra to exam centres at Belgaum in Karnataka. A student got 705 marks when she had barely scraped through her class 12 board exams. 

Also Read: ​​NEET-UG 2024 results: 37 of the 50 top-scoring NEET centres are clustered in Rajasthan’s Sikar district​​

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NEET-UG 2024 results: 37 of the 50 top-scoring NEET centres are clustered in Rajasthan’s Sikar district

Of the 50 NEET-UG exam centres which had the highest percentage of candidates scoring above 650, 37 centres are located in Rajasthan’s Sikar district alone

Mr. Hooda argues – “NTA did not divulge on June 4 that they gave grace marks, that wrong question paper was distributed.” 

He points out that the June 4 NEET-UG results were based solely on the answer key from the SBI paper. 

CJI Chandrachud poses the following questions to the NTA regarding the wrong paper distribution is some centres. 

1. In how many centres were the wrong question papers (Canara Bank) distributed?

2. How many students were evaluated on the basis of the Canara Bank paper?

3. Why was the Canara Bank paper’s answer key not declared? 

4. Who issues the authorisation to city coordinators to get which question paper? 

5. Why did city coordinators in places like Jhajjar go to both the State Bank of India and the Canara Bank to collect the papers?

6. Why did the Canara Bank give the wrong question paper to the city coordinator? Did the NTA not inform Canara Bank and SBI which of them held the right question paper?

7. Why did the Jhajjar city coordinator take back the Canara Bank question paper from only two centres and not the third and final one?

Objecting to Mr. Mehta’s submission, Mr. Hooda says that only the SBI question paper answer key was put out. 

“Where is the answer key of the Canara Bank paper? It is not available to date. Where are the results of the 3000-odd students who were allowed to continue with the Canara Bank paper?”, he asks. 

CJI says it is “spooky” that only 833 of the 1563 candidates given grace marks appeared in the re-test in June. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says that in some centres, the wrong question papers were taken back half-way and they were asked to re-appear with the SBI question paper. 

“Grace marks were given only to those students from whom the paper was withdrawn mid-exam”, he adds. 

CJI asks how the wrong question paper from Canara Bank was distributed to students in places like ​Haryana’s Jhajjar district​.

“How is it that students were allowed to answer the wrong question paper for three hours?”, he asks. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says the city-in-charge officer is informed by the NTA about which question paper to use for NEET. “Two different question papers are stored. One is stored in the vaults of SBI and the other in Canara Bank. The city in charge officer has to inform the centre in charge, who goes to the bank to retrieve the question paper”, he says. 

Mr. Mehta admits that the officers in charge of eight centres distributed the wrong question papers for the students to answer. “The right question paper was the SBI one and not the Canara Bank one. But the latter was distributed to the students”, he says. 

Expressing surprise, the CJI asks whether the centres-in-charge, banks were not informed that the SBI was the right paper. “ How students in Jhajjar were allowed to write for 3.2 hours?”, he asks. 

CJI asks if the leak was systemic or happened locally. 

“Were the questions leaked on May 4 night? Did the solvers do the question papers between 9.15 and 10.20 on May 4 night and distribute them to the students?”, he asks. 

SC asks petitioners to prove by showing data that the leaks were not localised but systemic in nature and had spread across the country. The petitioners want a re-test. 

CJI points out that the court is worried that the NEET paper leak may not be confined to Hazaribag if the leak actually happened much before May 4. The government till now has insisted that the leak occurred on May 5 morning and was confined to small pockets in Bihar and Jharkhand.

CJI: “If the NEET paper leak has taken place on the night of May 4, it has not taken place in the vault of SBI or Canara Bank. The leak must have happened much prior to the transportation of the question papers to the banks.” 

He points out that professors are not used as problem solvers but students are. 

Responding to this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says students are better qualified as they are more in the loop about answering the exams, the kind of questions asked, etc.

CJI asks why solvers were brought in from Rajasthan. Others were medical students, even two from AIIMS Patna.

Mr. Hooda intervenes and alleges that the “investigation is being botched up by the stand taken by the Govt of India”. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says that the Govt of India is only accountable to the students and the court. “Please do not say Govt of India has botched up”, he adds. 

CJI, referring to a statement made by Amit Anand, a middleman involved in the NEET paper leak: “It shows the students were asked to memorise the questions and answers on May 4 night. This means the leak happened much before (the exam)“. 

This concerns the ​paper leaks from Oasis School at Hazaribagh in Jharkhand​. 

Referring to the statements of witnesses recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC, Mr. Hooda says - “Then there are statements of Nitesh Kumar, Amit Anand and Sikander Prasad.... they indicate that the leak took place much prior to the examination.” 

Mr. Hooda contends that the paper leak happened before May 3 contrary to the Centre’s submission that the leak took place on the morning of May 5. 

“We have submitted a note on the basis of data. They admit paper leak, they admit dissemination happened on WhatsApp. Bihar police materials indicate that students were given leaked papers on 4th. Leak did not happen on the morning of May 5 as was suggested... my submission is that leak happened before May 3”, he adds. 

Also Read: ​NEET-UG paper leak case: CBI arrests ‘mastermind’, two members of ‘solver gang’ in NEET-UG paper leak case​

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NEET-UG paper leak case: CBI arrests ‘mastermind’, two members of ‘solver gang’ in NEET-UG paper leak case

NEET-UG paper leak case: CBI arrests mastermind and two MBBS students in NEET-UG paper leak case, bringing total arrests to 21.

The Bench has assembled. The hearing has begun. 

Senior advocate Narendar Hooda resumes arguments on behalf of the petitioners. 

Addressing the Centre’s argument that there was very little time after the alleged breach and the students were asked to memorise the answers, the CJI said, “The whole hypothesis that the entire paper was solved in 45 minutes and given to students is too far-fetched”. 

The Solicitor General had also explained the modus operandi of gang members behind the leak in Bihar – “Parents pay in post-dated cheques. Students of these parents are called in and told to memorise the answers. They are instructed to keep their phones out.” He added that massive dissemination of the leaked paper would lead to the cancellation of the exam. So, the gang wanted the leak to remain small and local.

However, the CJI pointed out, “What is worrying us is, how much was the period between the breach occurred and the exam? If the time period is 3 days, obviously there is a greater danger. Will somebody pay Rs 75,000 for 45 minutes?”. 

A Bench headed by CJI Chandrachud will hear the matter post 10.30 am. The Bench is likely to conclude the matter today.

The proceedings on the NEET matter can be watched live here: 

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Read The Hindu’s detailed explainer here. 

NEET-UG 2024 results controversy explained

NEET-UG 2024 results controversy: 1,563 candidates to retake exam due to grace marks issue, sparking protests and calls for re-test.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigating the paper leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024 on Saturday arrested the mastermind and two other MBBS students who allegedly acted as ‘solvers’ in the NEET-UG paper leak case.

Shashi Kumar Paswan alias Paasu, believed to be the alleged mastermind behind the paper leak case, is a B.Tech graduate from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jamshedpur, while the two others were identified as Kumar Mangla Bishnoi, second-year MBBS student in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur, and Deependra Kumar, a first-year student.

Read more here. 

An analysis of NEET-UG 2024 results shows that many students scoring high marks were clustered in particular centres located in certain cities or States. The ​National Testing Agency published the undergraduate medical entrance examination scores​ of 23,33,162 candidates on Saturday after the Supreme Court directed that the data be made public.

Of the 50 NEET-UG exam centres which had the highest percentage of candidates scoring above 650, 37 centres are located in Rajasthan’s Sikar district alone. A score of above 650 gives candidates a chance of getting admission in government medical colleges.

“Of the 30,204 students who bagged over 650 marks, and will compete for 20,000 highly coveted MBBS seats in government medical colleges, 2,037 bagged scores above 650 in Sikar alone. The CBI should definitely look at this anomaly,” said Krishan Sharma, the parent of an aggrieved candidate in Haryana. Dr. Sharma is one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case.

​Read more here​. 

The Centre in the Supreme Court said it is irrational to scrap the undergraduate National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 in its entirety.

The government further indicated that cancelling a pan-India exam would not be advisable in the “absence of any proof of any large scale breach of confidentiality”.

The government said a drastic move like a re-examination would jeopardise the future of lakhs of honest students who attended the NEET-UG 2024, which is under a cloud of controversy following allegations of widespread question paper leaks, impersonation, cheating and other irregularities.

Read more here. 

NEET-UG 2024: Scrapping exam not rational, says Centre to Supreme Court

Centre defends NEET-UG 2024 exam, opposes scrapping, citing potential harm to honest candidates, requests CBI probe into irregularities.

Sixty-one students scored a perfect 720/720 in the undergraduate National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 due to a significant reduction in syllabus, the National Testing Agency (NTA) explained to the Supreme Court.

“The most prominent factor in 61 candidates scoring 720/720 is due to the reduction in the syllabus, which was down to enable candidates to focus on the core concepts and to alleviate pressure on students who faced challenges in completing their studies due to the pandemic in 2019-20,” the NTA said.

Read more here. 

‘Reduced’ syllabus a big factor for perfect NEET scores: NTA

NTA explains how 61 students scored perfect in NEET-UG 2024 due to reduced syllabus and increased candidates.

Read The HIndu’s live-coverage of the proceedings. 

NEET-UG exam 2024: SC directs NTA to publish results on July 20 by 12 pm

NEET-UG 2024 SC hearing LIVE: Follow highlights from The Hindu on the Supreme Court hearing of pleas related to the controversy-ridden exam on July 18, 2024