New Delhi: The Supreme Court addressed multiple issues regarding the 2024 NEET-UG examination. This included a challenge to question number 29, which the petitioner argued had ambiguous choices. The court also examined claims of tough questions and the distribution of incorrect question papers. Additionally, there were concerns that the question paper might have been leaked before May 4. The court asked the petitioners to provide data to demonstrate that the paper leak was widespread.
The conundrum of question No. 29
A petitioner’s counsel submitted before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud that regarding questions No. 29 and 44 students, who opted for the 'incorrect' answer, were given 'grace marks' and scored 720/720.
The counsel said her client decided not to answer the question and scored 711 out of 720 while pointing at negative markings in the exam. The counsel said, "Against the backdrop of negative marking, there could be only one answer to a question and as a result, her client decided to not answer it. The counsel said her client holds rank 311 and if four marks were to be awarded for this question to her then she would move."
The counsel argued that if the National Testing Agency (NTA) had not given marks for this question, then the petitioner would have scored higher percentile.
The bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stressing that the petitioners’ argument carries weight, said that if marks were awarded to those who answered even 'option 2', the NTA would increase the number of toppers.
The bench asked if 'option 4' is the correct answer, according to the latest NCERT textbook, then how it is possible that those who answered 'option 2' got full marks.
The petitioner stressed that it is not possible to assume there are two correct answers to a question and that marks would have to be awarded for an answer.
The bench queried Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the NTA, "Why did NTA come to this conclusion... to give marks for both options?" He replied that because both were possible answers. Mehta’s reply was disputed by the petitioner’s counsel saying that “it is not possible….”.
The apex court was informed that students were expected to follow the new NCERT textbook, according to which 'option 4' is the right answer and over four lakh students selected option 2 and got four extra marks.
Concluding the day-long hearing, the bench asked the director of IIT Delhi to constitute a team of three experts to resolve the issue regarding the correct option and the opinion of the experts should be submitted by noon tomorrow.
A volley of questions to NTA on the distribution of wrong question paper. The NTA counsel faced a flurry of questions by the CJI in connection with the distribution of wrong question papers at various centres. The CJI asked another counsel representing the NTA, in how many centres the wrong question papers, collected from Canara Bank, were distributed. Why were students allowed to attempt the wrong question paper, which was collected from the Canara bank by an authorised person for three hours?
The CJI further queried, how many students were evaluated based on question paper, which was collected by the authorised person from the Canara Bank instead of the State Bank of India.
The CJI asked why the NTA did not declare the answer key of the question paper, which came from the Canara Bank. Also, why did the authorised person or city coordinator not visit the SBI branch to collect the NEET questions paper and instead go to Canara Bank?