The National Testing Agency (NTA) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday concerning irregularities in the NEET UG Exam. The examination body informed the court that these irregularities were confined to certain centers in Patna, Bihar, and Godhra, Gujarat.
“The irregularities in the NEET exam cited in the petition are limited only to some centers in Patna and Godhra. At other places, the wrong methods used by some students to pass the exam are very few incidents in themselves and have no connection with the other incidents mentioned in the petition,” the affidavit stated.
No Impact on Sanctity of Exam: NTA
The NTA assessed the overall impact of the malpractice at the centers in question and concluded that the alleged irregularities did not compromise the sanctity of the exam or result in any undue advantage. “The NTA, having come to know about the malpractice by individuals at Godhra and a few centers in Patna, assessed the performance of all candidates at the concerned centers to determine whether any significant impact occurred,” the affidavit read.
The analysis showed that the alleged malpractices did not affect the integrity of the entire exam or provide undue benefits to students at those centers, the NTA added.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the NTA and the Centre to submit affidavits detailing the incidents and sought a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 10 regarding the NEET UG exam. The court acknowledged that the NEET-UG held on May 5 was compromised due to a question paper leak and requested the NTA to outline the steps taken to identify the candidates who benefited from the leak.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also directed the NTA to specify the measures taken to identify the centers/cities where leaks occurred, the modalities used to identify the beneficiaries, and how the leak was disseminated. The court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct the examination afresh, citing paper leakage and malpractices.
NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, is crucial for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India. The NEET-UG 2024 was held across 4,750 centers on May 5, with approximately 24 lakh candidates appearing for the exam.
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