NEET UG 2024 Tainted? Minister Confirms Irregularities, Promises Reforms!

NEET UG 2024: In the NEET paper leak case, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has admitted to irregularities for the first time. He said on Sunday, June 16, that there have been some irregularities in the NEET result. Any senior officials found involved in this will not be spared. He admitted that there is a need for reform in the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts the exam.

Pradhan said that two types of irregularities have come to light in connection with NEET. First, there was initial information that some students were given grace marks due to less time. Second, some irregularities have come to light at two places. I assure the students and parents that the government has taken this also seriously.

The NEET exam was held on 5 May this year. 23 lakh 30 thousand students appeared in it. During this time, Lok Sabha elections were also being held. On 4 June, along with the Lok Sabha, NEET results were also released. In this, 67 students were given full 720 marks. For the first time in the history of NEET exam, so many students were top scorers. Many students raised questions on this.

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Petitions have been filed in 7 High Courts including Delhi High Court regarding the irregularities in the exam results, which the Supreme Court will hear together on July 8. These also include petitions demanding NEET paper leak and CBI investigation.

The hearing was held in the Supreme Court on June 13

Earlier on June 13, three petitions were heard in the Supreme Court in the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta.

During this, NTA told three things to the court..

1- The scorecards of 1,563 candidates who got grace marks in the NEET-UG exam will be cancelled.

2- These candidates will have to appear for the exam again on June 23. The results will be declared before June 30.

3- A committee has been formed to review the results of more than 1,563 candidates.

4 petitions in the Supreme Court, know what has happened in them so far

1- Student Shivangi Mishra and 9 other students filed a petition on June 1 before the declaration of the result. Along with stopping the counseling, the examination was cancelled and an inquiry was demanded. The Supreme Court refused to stop the counseling.

2- Petitioner Hitesh Singh Kashyap filed the case. 26 students from states like Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand etc. paid a bribe of Rs 10 lakh each to select Jai Jalaram examination centre in Godhra, Gujarat. The petition demands a CBI inquiry into the paper leak. The hearing will be held on July 8.

3- Physicswala’s co-founder Alakh Pandey filed a petition against giving grace marks to 1563 students. The hearing was held on June 13. NTA said – Grace marks of 1563 students will be canceled. Results of all students will be released without grace marks. They can appear in the exam again.

4- In this petition filed on June 15, 20 students have demanded cancellation of NEET exam and re-conducting of the exam. They have also demanded investigation of the case by CBI or any other independent agency.

Students’ protests continue across the country

Students have been protesting against the results since March 4 over irregularities in the exam. Congress’ student wing NSUI protested outside Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s house in Delhi on Sunday demanding a CBI inquiry. Apart from this, protests were also held in different parts of the country. Students are demanding that the exam be conducted again.

6 questions on the entire controversy…

1. Bihar: How did the paper reach the mafia 4 hours before?

Four candidates sent to jail in Patna have confessed that they got the question paper and answers four hours before the NEET exam. Its printout was taken and they started memorizing it at 10 am on May 5. Police have recovered the burnt question paper and three copies of the same booklet number 6136488 from here. Police have registered a case of paper leak. If the paper was not leaked, then how did it reach the mafia? Why did the mafia burn the question papers before the police raid?

2. Gujarat: 16 students from Godhra paid Rs 10 lakh each and also chose the centre

How did 16 students from Odisha, Karnataka and Jharkhand get their desired centre at Jai Jalaram School in Godhra, Gujarat, even though there were centres in their own states? The rule is that students can choose centres up to 100-150 km away, while here the distance is more than 1000 km? Police have arrested 5 people. 16 cheques worth Rs 2.30 crore have been recovered. Main accused Tushar Bhatt has confessed that he had taken Rs 10 lakh each from 16 students from other states to help them pass the NEET exam.

3. Haryana: 504 students took the exam, no one’s time was wasted

Anshu Yadav, principal of Hardayal Public School in Jhajjar, Haryana, said that 504 students took the exam in her school. No one’s even minute was wasted. The question arises that on what basis were these students given grace marks for wasted time? Now if the grace marks have been taken back, why are they being forced to take the exam?

4. Why did NTA suddenly open the window?

NTA had closed the NEET application date on March 16 after extending it by a week. Then why was the registration window suddenly opened for one day on April 9? Out of the students who registered in these 24 hours, how many students qualified? Did some of them also become top rankers?

5. Approval of governing body was taken for grace marks

NTA gave different grace marks to 1563 students of 6 centers (Meghalaya, Bahadurgarh (Haryana), Dantewada, Balod (Chhattisgarh), Surat (Gujarat) and Chandigarh) due to time wastage. Was approval taken from NTA’s governing body for this? On whose decision was the formula of grace marks adopted in NEET in lieu of time wastage in CLAT? While CLAT was conducted online, NEET was conducted offline.

6. What will happen to counselling if the verdict in the Supreme Court comes against it?

The Supreme Court has given the next hearing date of July 8 to NTA to give its reply and the counselling of NEET is starting from July 6. If during the hearing the Supreme Court gives a verdict against the NEET exam or the issue of banning it is raised, then what will happen to the counselling?

Priyanka said- The government is ruining the dreams of the students

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has targeted the central government over the irregularities in the NEET UG exam. Priyanka said that the BJP government started ruining the dreams of the students as soon as it took oath.

Yoga Guru Ramdev Baba has said that there is a huge difference in the fees of MBBS studies in government and private colleges. This is the reason why there is a competition to get admission in government medical colleges.