Minister of Education meets NEET-UG applicants in the midst of exam uncertainties
Although there have been calls for a retake from a number of sources, the education ministry has insisted that the instances of paper leaks were isolated and that it cannot endanger the futures of thousands of applicants who passed the exam with fairness by canceling the entire exam.
Amidst a heated dispute about purported anomalies in the administration of the medical entrance examination this year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hosted a few NEET hopefuls at his home on Thursday.
The students brought up concerns about the academic calendar, the delay in the counseling process, and the uncertainty about the outcome of the May exam, according to sources.
Although there have been calls for a retake from several sources, the education ministry has insisted that the instances of paper leaks were isolated and that it cannot endanger the futures of thousands of applicants who passed the exam with fairness by canceling the entire exam.
The case has already reached the Supreme Court, which on Thursday postponed hearings on several petitions requesting that the exam be rescheduled and canceled until July 18.
A probe into the alleged malpractices has also been requested by the petitioners.
The ministry has notified the Supreme Court that IIT Madras performed data analytics on the NEET-UG 2024 results and discovered that neither "mass malpractice" nor a specific group of applicants who benefited from it and received unusually high scores could be established.
The statement from the government takes on more weight in light of the Supreme Court's July 8 statement that it could order a retest if widespread irregularities occurred during the exam's administration.
The CBI is looking into the situation. On May 5, more than 23.33 lakh candidates took the exam at 4,750 locations across 571 cities, including 14 international destinations.
The students brought up issues regarding the academic calendar, delays in the counseling process, and uncertainty about the results of the May exam.
The Education Ministry has stated that the instances of paper leaks were isolated and that canceling the entire exam would jeopardize the futures of thousands of candidates who passed fairly.
IIT Madras' data analytics found no evidence of mass malpractice or a specific group of applicants benefiting with unusually high scores.
The Supreme Court has postponed hearings on these petitions until July 18. The petitioners have also requested a probe into the alleged malpractices.
Over 23.33 lakh candidates took the exam on May 5 at 4,750 centers across 571 cities, including 14 international locations.
