The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, staged a protest in Delhi on Saturday regarding issues with the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
The protest comes amid concerns about reported paper leaks and the allocation of grace marks during the May 5 exam, which was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) across 4,750 centers for approximately 24 lakh students.
Simultaneously, members of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) held a protest in Kerala, urging authorities to investigate the alleged irregularities surrounding the NEET-UG exam.
On Thursday, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1,563 candidates who received grace marks in the NEET-UG exam would be canceled. These candidates will have the opportunity to retake the exam on June 23, with results to be announced before June 30.
The NTA explained to Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a committee had been established to review the results of the 1,563 candidates who were awarded grace marks to compensate for the loss of time during the exam.
“The committee has decided to cancel the scorecards of these candidates, who will be given the option to take a re-test,” the NTA stated.
The Supreme Court clarified that the ongoing NEET-UG 2024 counseling process would not be halted. “Counseling will go on, and we will not stop it. If the exam goes, then everything goes in totality, so there is nothing to fear,” the court stated. The Supreme Court will hear further petitions on July 8.
Several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct the examination afresh, citing allegations of paper leakage and malpractices in the test held on May 5.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is crucial for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India.