NEET results 2024 cancelled for 1,563 candidates, re-exam on June 23: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today said that the NEET results 2024 of 1,563 candidates who were awarded grace marks will stand cancelled and asked the NTA to withdraw results. The NEET re-exam 2024 for the affected candidates will be held on June 23 and the results will be declared by June 30, the NTA informed the top court.

“These candidates will be informed of their actual scores, without compensatory marks. Re-exam will be conducted for the affected 1563 candidates. Results of those who don't wish to re-appear will be declared based on actual marks,” the vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said.

The apex court heard three petitions, including the one filed by EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah CEO, against awarding of grace marks, NEET UG paper leak and other allegations.

Advocate Kanu Agarwal speaking for the Centre said: “Insofar as allegations of unfair means, a meeting was held on 10th,11th and 12th. Committee has recommended score cards of 1,563 candidates be cancelled. Re-exam will be conducted for affected candidates.”

Justice Sandeep Mehta said that the two options to either appear for re-NEET or consider non-normalised marks is “contradictory”. "That aspect of the result on the basis of compensation marks needs to be cancelled as a whole,” he said.

Agarwal said that the NEET re-exam for only the affected students will be held on June 23 and the results will be declared by June 30 for a smooth conduct of NEET counselling.

Stating that students at 6 exam centres had faced loss of time, Advocate Sai Deepak requested the court to order reopening of portal for candidates, who did not approach the court, to apply for re-exam.

Also read ‘NEET Scam’: Why NTA’s clarifications on NEET results raise more questions

NEET 2024 controversy, petitions

On June 11, the apex court, which heard the matter, refused to stay NEET counselling 2024, however asked the NTA’s response on the matter. It also noted that the ‘sanctity of the exam has been affected’. Later, the NTA argued that the sanctity of the medical entrance exam hasn't been compromised and informed that 63 cases of unfair means were reported, of which 23 students have been debarred.

One of the petitions was filed by chief executive of EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah’, who earlier said that his PIL challenged awarding of grace marks, transparencies of NTA, paper leak and other controversies.

The second petition was filed by SIO members Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Shaik Roshan Mohiddin demanding for NEET re-exam citing that 718 and 719 score out of 720 in NEET results is ‘statistically impossible’.

The third petition was filed by a NEET aspirant Jaripiti Kartheek challenging grace marks for loss of time during the exam. The petitioner said that “the normalization method used to award grace marks could extend only to the number of questions that may be left unanswered in proportion to the loss of time, given that each question has equal mark weightage; therefore equal time distribution to answer each question can be assumed,” the Live Law reported.

Meanwhile, MBBS aspirants have started an online petition to stop NEET re-exam 2024 citing mental harassment and stress for hardworking students.