The Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of scorecards for 1,563 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) candidates who were awarded grace marks following a normalisation formula.
These candidates did not get the requisite time to finish the test which prompted the National Testing Agency to award grace marks.
These candidates will be informed of their actual marks, excluding the compensatory marks, and given the option to retake the exam, the court said.
The retest is likely to take place on June 23 and the date will be communicated by the National Testing Agency to the aggrieved students. Candidates who opt not to retake the exam will have their actual marks considered for counselling.
The court also emphasised that the candidates' decision to retake the exam is voluntary.
Following the announcement of the retest results on June 30, the counselling process for all NEET-UG 2024 candidates will commence.
The centre and the NTA suggested a re-test for these students as the next step, which led to the court's decision. The top court's order mirrors the centre's and the NTA's suggestions.
The top court was dealing with a plea that challenged the alleged award of grace marks on account of loss of time to the students.
According to the plea, the NTA did not proactively notify students of their grace marks when they were being awarded; rather, it did so in response to their outcry.
This clarification came about only when queries were raised as to how 718/719 marks out of total 720 marks can be awarded when the same was not technically possible as per the marking scheme, the plea said.
After the NEET UG 2024 results were declared on June 4, widespread allegations of irregularities and demands for a re-examination echoed across the country. Over 24 lakh candidates across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas venues, took the examination.
Scores of students protested in Delhi on June 10 seeking a probe into alleged irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.
No Evidence Of Paper Leak, Says Minister
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan rejected allegations of paper leak in NEET-UG, saying there is no evidence to substantiate the claims and added that the government is ensuring no student is at a disadvantage.
Pradhan, who took charge as Union Minister for the second time on June 10, said there is no evidence of the paper being leaked.
"The allegations of corruption in NTA are unfounded, it is a very credible body. It conducts exams for more than 50 lakh school students annually, besides exams at the higher education level," Pradhan said.
The education ministry last week set up a four-member panel to review the grace marks awarded to 1,563 students to compensate them for 'loss of time' due to delay in starting the examination at certain centres.
(With PTI inputs)
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