The controversy over giving grace marks in the medical admission exam NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate) has come to an end. The National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Supreme Court on Thursday, before the hearing on this matter began, that the grace marks given to 1,563 students due to time wastage have been canceled. Normal marks (without grace marks) of all these students will be released soon. All of them will also be given a chance to take the exam again.
Allegations of irregularities
There have been allegations of inflating marks in NEET-UG, due to which a record 67 candidates shared the top rank by securing perfect scores. Last year, only two students shared the top rank. The students alleged that the marks of many candidates were randomly reduced or increased, which affected their rank.
Grace marks given to more than 1,500 students to compensate for the loss of time due to delays in the examination at six centers are under investigation. There are also allegations of a paper leak. The Economic Offenses Wing of Bihar Police had last month said citing its investigation that NEET-UG question papers and answers were made available to about 35 candidates before the May 5 exam. So far 13 persons have been arrested in this case.
Grace marks given
Students from at least six centers in Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Surat, and Chandigarh had complained of wasting time during the examination. At these places, students did not get the full three hours and 20 minutes to write the exam due to administrative reasons.
These administrative reasons include the distribution of the wrong question paper, torn OMR sheets, or delay in the distribution of OMR sheets. A committee formed by the NTA investigated the matter and adopted a formula prepared by the court to compensate for the lost time of the candidates. Their wasted time was detected and grace marks were given.
NTA's stand
The NTA says that the sanctity of the exam has not been compromised. It attributed the increase in the number of top scorers to the competitiveness of the exam and the increase in performance standards. According to officials, grace marks have been given to 1,563 candidates to compensate for the loss of time. Of the 67 candidates who scored 720 out of 720 marks, 44 were given grace marks due to modification in the answer key of Physics and six for loss of time.
Political controversy
The Congress has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the exam and said that the anger in the country over the matter will be heard in Parliament as well. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the Education Minister of defending the NTA and claimed that the Bihar Police investigation found the paper leak.
The Maharashtra government has demanded the cancellation of the exam and alleged that its results have caused injustice to the students of the state. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reiterated that NEET is against social justice and federalism. The Aam Aadmi Party has also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.
'I will have to pay a heavy price, but I am ready, ' PM Modi's first reaction to Trump's tariff
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first reaction came today after US President Donald Trump announced a tariff hike on India. Speaking indirectly, PM Modi said that for us, the interest of our farmers is
Delhi Election 2025: 'If Rajiv Kumar wants to do politics, he should contest elections', Kejriwal lashed out at the Chief Election Commissioner
Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday launched a major attack on Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar over the Yamuna water dispute. Kejriwal said that the Election Commission is playing politics. Rajiv
Paris Olympics Day 5 Schedule: Manika Batra will take her campaign forward, and Lovlina will want to make a winning start
India got a bronze medal on Tuesday, the fourth day of the Paris Olympics when the pair of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won the bronze medal. Now on the fifth day, Wednesday, Manika Batra will enter
India-Pakistan Ceasefire: 32 airports closed amid India-Pakistan tension reopened; operations resume
32 airports of the country which were closed due to the recent military tension between India and Pakistan have once again been opened for civilian flights. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave
Orry: The hotel owner made a big statement in the Orry liquor case, saying- 'To maintain the sanctity of Mata Vaishno Devi...'
Ori, who is popular on social media, recently visited Mata Vaishno Devi temple, where he was accused of consuming alcohol. The hotel owner where Ori was staying has appealed to maintain the sanctity
Jehanabad Stampede: Why did the stampede happen in Siddheshwar Nath temple? Eyewitness told the truth; and also blamed the police
Seven devotees died in a stampede at Siddheshwar Nath Temple (Stampede in Siddheshwar Nath Temple) located in Makhdumpur in Jehanabad district of Bihar (Jehanabad stampede), while more than 30 were
Noida-Delhi commuters troubled by farmers' protest, many routes closed, know what are the demands?
Traffic remained sluggish on Tuesday i.e. today also due to the farmers' protest on the Delhi-Noida border. During this march which started on Monday (2 December), the movement of vehicles on busy
Suresh Raina-ED: Suresh Raina reached the ED office in Delhi, interrogation continues in the betting app case, know the whole matter
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has reached the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi. He was called by the ED for questioning in a case related to online betting apps (betting apps). The ED is
Pakistani Spy: Another Pakistani spy arrested from Nuh, evidence of betrayal found in phone; Big revelation from chatting
Haryana Police and Central Investigation Agencies have arrested Tarif son of Hanif, from the village Kangarka of Tawadu subdivision in a major action against the Pakistani espionage network in Nuh
Panchayat 5: Phulera's best friends will now become enemies, will the battle for the deputy pradhan bring a big twist in 'Panchayat-5'?
The craze of Panchayat Season 4 had not even subsided from the audience when Amazon Prime Video announced its fifth season yesterday. While TVF's most liked Panchayat 4 showed the fight for the post
