The Supreme Court of India has sought expert opinion from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi regarding a contentious question in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The issue arose when the National Testing Agency (NTA) awarded marks for two options on a multiple-choice question, leading to confusion and disputes among the students.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra has requested the Director of IIT Delhi to form a team of three experts to evaluate the correct answer. This team is expected to provide their opinion by Tuesday noon to help resolve the matter. The Registrar General has been instructed to communicate this order to the IIT Delhi Director to ensure swift action.
The problem emerged when some students challenged the NTA's decision to award marks for two different options for a specific question in the NEET-UG exam. According to the petitioners, the instructions from the NTA stated that the students should follow the latest edition of the NCERT textbook.
They argued that option 4 was the correct answer as per the latest edition, while option 2 was correct according to the old NCERT syllabus. The students claimed that the NTA's decision to award marks for option 2 was contradictory to its own instructions, which emphasised the use of the latest NCERT version.
As the court proceedings continued, the bench decided that an expert opinion from IIT Delhi would be essential in determining the correct answer. The court emphasised the need for an expert review to ensure fairness and accuracy in the evaluation process.
During the hearing, senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing the petitioners, informed the court about statements from the Bihar police investigation. These statements indicated that the question paper leak occurred on May 4, before the papers were deposited with the respective banks.
The bench acknowledged that the question paper was transported by e-rickshaw, but clarified that the distributed picture was of the OMR sheet, not the question paper itself.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, reading statements from the accused, noted that students were gathered to memorise the questions on the evening of May 4, suggesting that the leak had indeed happened before that date. The court expressed the need to determine whether the leak was localised to Hazaribagh and Patna or if it was widespread and systematic.
Hooda also mentioned an incident involving Hardayal School Jhajjar, where the principal reportedly took question papers from both the State Bank of India (SBI) and Canara Bank. However, the papers from Canara Bank were distributed to the candidates instead of those from SBI. The bench questioned how the centre-in-charge at Jhajjar managed to obtain papers from Canara Bank when the distribution was supposed to be from SBI.
The Supreme Court is hearing a series of pleas that seek to recall the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct the examination afresh due to allegations of paper leakage and malpractices. The aspirants have raised concerns about the integrity of the examination process, the awarding of compensatory marks, and inconsistencies in the questions.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is a crucial test for students seeking admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions across India. This year, the exam was held across 4,750 centres on May 5, with around 24 lakh candidates appearing.
As the court continues to hear arguments from the NTA and the Centre, the expert opinion from IIT Delhi is expected to play a significant role in resolving the dispute over the contentious question and ensuring a fair evaluation process for the students.
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