The National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) retest on Monday, which was conducted for 1563 candidates on June 23. In a public notice issued on June 30, the NTA also announced a revision of the ranks for all candidates who participated in the exam. The retest was necessitated by a controversy surrounding the awarding of grace marks to certain students. The notice clarified that revised scorecards for all candidates, including those who took the retest on June 23, would be available on the NTA's website.
Earlier, amid the controversy over the NEET-UG exam, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi stated on June 30 that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had taken moral responsibility for the issue, and an investigation was underway. Ilmi emphasized the need for serious discussions rather than political maneuvering or blame games, highlighting the impact on students and their parents.
The NEET-UG examination, overseen by the NTA on May 5, 2024, was held at 4,750 centers across 571 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, with over 2.3 million candidates. The results, declared on June 4, sparked immediate controversy, with 67 candidates achieving a perfect score of 720 out of 720, leading to widespread protests. The Supreme Court ordered the removal of grace marks awarded to some students and offered affected candidates the choice to retake the test or keep their original scores minus the grace marks.
The Central Government established a committee, chaired by former ISRO chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan, to investigate the conduct of examinations by the NTA. This seven-member committee is expected to submit its report within two months. Following the discovery of evidence of a paper leak in Bihar, the CBI took over the investigation of NEET-UG and registered a criminal case on June 23 regarding alleged irregularities. Special teams have been formed by the CBI to delve into the matter. According to the CBI's FIR, isolated incidents occurred in several states during the May 5 NEET (UG) 2024 examination. On June 27, the CBI arrested two individuals in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case.
