New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that a decision has been taken to cancel the grace marks awarded to 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates and these students will be given an option to take a re-examination, and results will be announced before counselling.
Refusing to stall the counselling for NEET-UG, 2024, scheduled to commence from July 6, the top court made it clear that the admission of successful candidates to medical colleges and other institutions will be subject to the outcome of the petitions which have sought reliefs like cancellation of the examination held on May 5 on grounds of question paper leak and other malpractices. A bench comprising J Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, “We are not stopping the counselling”. “Why should we delay counselling and why should we delay the admission?”, the bench asked a counsel, representing one of the petitioners'.
Following the Supreme Court observations, the National Testing Agency (NTA) in a post on its official X handle said the re-test of all 1563 candidates will be held on June 23. "Subsequent to the Hon'ble Supreme Court's observations on the report of NTA's High Powered Committee, the grace/compensatory marks awarded to all, 1563 students stand withdrawn. A re-test of all 1563 candidates will be held on June 23, 2024. NTA will issue a public notice shortly and also contact these, 1563 candidates through email to ensure that they receive the official communication," NTA said in the post.
During the hearing today, Advocate Kanu Agarwal, representing the Centre, informed the apex court that meetings were held on June 10, 11, and 12, and the committee took a decision on June 12. He said the committee has decided to cancel scorecards of 1563 candidates who would have to take the test again. Agarwal added that candidates’ who don't wish to sit for re-examination, their actual marks, without compensatory marks, will be taken into consideration. “You are giving an opportunity to appear in the examination to those who desire….”, noted the bench.
“Scorecards of all affected candidates issued on June 4, 2024, stand cancelled and thus withdrawn….A re-examination will be conducted for the affected candidates’….The result of those affected candidates’ who do not wish to re-appear for re-examination will be declared based on actual marks without compensation…”, said the Centre’s counsel, reading out of the operative portion of the committee’s conclusion.
The bench recorded the submissions of the counsel, representing the National Testing Agency (NTA), that the date for re-examination will be announced today and it would likely be held on June 23, and the result will be declared before June 30. The counsel informed the court that the result will be declared before counselling begins, so that it is not affected.
Advocate J. Sai Deepak, representing chief executive of EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah’, Alakh Pandey, informed the bench that his client is concerned with unfair means adopted for the examination and the award of grace marks to candidates'. Deepak said a certain set of candidates’ will take a second shot at the examination, where the standards could be different from the first examination. “What should be done with those 1563 candidates who did not get the actual time allotted to them”, Justice Nath asked Deepak, who replied there is a larger issue with the conduct of examination.
However, the bench asked Deepak to provide suggestions regarding 1563 candidates’ and not delve into the larger issue regarding the examination, which is scheduled to come up before the apex court on July 8. “Now they are holding a re-test. You are not happy, then what?”, Justice Nath asked Deepak.
