Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has firmly dismissed claims of a NEET paper leak. Speaking to reporters, Pradhan emphasized that no concrete evidence supports the allegations. He also clarified that grace marks were awarded to students to make up for the time lost due to an error during the examination.
He explained the situation, stating, ‘During the exam, held across 4,500 centers in 13 languages, incorrect question papers were mistakenly sent to six centers. This affected around 1,563 students’. Although the correct papers were later provided, the delay caused a loss of time. In line with the Supreme Court’s standing order, the National Testing Agency (NTA) constituted an expert committee to assess the situation. The committee decided to award grace marks to the affected students rather than conducting a re-examination. This decision, however, sparked controversy when it was discovered that some students received perfect scores.
The Central Government has now informed the Supreme Court that the decision to award grace marks has been reversed. Instead, the 1,563 affected students will have the option to retake the exam on June 23, with results to be announced by June 30. The counselling process for admissions into various medical courses will begin on July 6.
The NEET-UG exam, conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centers, saw participation from approximately 24 lakh candidates. The results, initially slated for release on June 4, were delayed following the completion of the answer sheet evaluation process. Allegations of NEET paper leak and the awarding of grace marks led to protests and legal actions in multiple high courts and the Supreme Court. A particularly contentious issue arose when 67 students achieved perfect scores of 720, an unprecedented event in the NTA’s history. Notably, six of these students were from a single center in Faridabad, Haryana, prompting concerns about possible irregularities.
Student demonstrations erupted in Delhi on June 10, with many demanding a thorough investigation into the alleged anomalies. Some protesters suggested that the grace marks might have contributed to the unusually high number of top scorers. As the situation unfolds, all eyes are on the Supreme Court’s decisions and the upcoming retake of the NEET-UG exam. The education sector is keenly observing how these developments will impact the credibility and fairness of one of India’s most crucial entrance exams.
