Centre Denies Mass Malpractice in NEET-UG Exam, Cites IIT Report

The Centre has filed its affidavit in the Supreme Court, denying any mass malpractice in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam conducted on May 5. The government’s response comes after the Supreme Court asked the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide information on the extent of the paper leak and the possible segregation of wrongdoers from others.

According to the Centre’s affidavit, an IIT Madras report on data analytics of the NEET-UG exam reveals that there is no indication of mass malpractice or a localized group of candidates benefiting from abnormal scores. The report states that the marks distribution follows a bell-shaped curve, which is typical of large-scale examinations, indicating no abnormality.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a batch of petitions regarding alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination. The pleas include those seeking the cancellation of the examination and conducting it again, citing irregularities and malpractices in the May 5 test. The Centre has assured the court that it is taking all necessary measures to ensure that no candidate guilty of malpractice benefits from the situation, while also avoiding the burden of a fresh test on the 23 lakh students who took the exam.

The allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG exam, including paper leaks and discrepancies in granting grace marks, have sparked widespread protests and political outcry across India. An unusual 67 students initially scored a perfect 720, leading to suspicions of irregularities, particularly among the top six scorers from a single centre in Haryana.

The Centre has attributed the increase in marks obtained by students to the reduction in syllabus. It claims that the overall increase in marks is seen across cities and centres, with candidates obtaining high marks spread across multiple cities and centres, making it unlikely that malpractice occurred.

The Centre has also announced that counselling for the exam will be conducted in four rounds, starting from the third week of July. If a candidate is found to have benefited from malpractice, their candidature will be cancelled at any stage during the counselling process or afterwards. The government has also stated that a considered decision will be taken on the status of counselling if further beneficiaries of the question paper leakage are identified.

The Centre’s affidavit has been filed in response to the Supreme Court’s request for information on the extent of the paper leak and the possible segregation of wrongdoers from others. The court is expected to make a decision on the matter soon.