Amid a raging row over the NEET-UG examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will re-conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2024 exam for over 1,563 aspirants on June 23 while the result will be declared on June 30. For those who do not wish to appear, their original scorecards (without the grace marks) will be considered.

The NTA informed a vacation bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that all 1,563 candidates who suffered as they got less than the allotted time to write NEET 2024, will be given the option for the re-test.

“If they choose to take the re-exam, their earlier NEET score will stand cancelled (and the new score after the re-exam will be counted instead). If these students choose not to take the retest, their original scores would remain but without counting grace marks awarded earlier on account of the loss of time,” the NTA told the court. The NTA conducts the all India pre-medical entrance test.

The development has come amid controversy that the "arbitrary" award of grace marks led to a shocking surge of top scorers during the NEET, with several claims being made of malpractices, cheating and irregularities in the conduct of the exam. Scores of students and their parents are protesting at the Jantar Mantar against the irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Refusing to stall the counselling for NEET-UG, 2024, scheduled to commence from July 6, the bench said, "As per the recommendations it has been suggested that scorecard of affected 1,563 candidates will be cancelled and withdrawn and actual scores will be informed without grace marks and re exam will be conducted for them.

Result of those who do not take the retest will be the exam's actual scores without grace marks”.

Taking note of the submissions, the bench said all the pleas, including the one filed by Alakh Pandey, the chief executive of EdTech firm Physics Wallah over the issue of award of grace marks, will be taken up for hearing on July 8.

The Court was hearing petitions questioning the manner in which the NEET for undergraduate medical college admissions was held this year. The petitions included those questioning the award of grace marks, with some seeking the cancellation of the NEET results announced on June 4.

At the outset, lawyer Kanu Agarwal, appearing for the Centre and the NTA, said the committee set up to look into the grievances decided on June 12 to "allay the fears of the students". It was of the view that the grace marks be withdrawn and replaced with an option of re-test for these candidates which will be conducted on June 23. A notification to this effect will be issued during the day.  He said the committee was of the view that the award of grace marks on grounds of loss of time while taking the test resulted in a "skewed situation" as it had to be limited only to the questions that remained un-attempted.

After examining all aspects, the panel concluded that it would be appropriate to recommend cancellation of scorecards of these beneficiary candidates.  "According to the recommendations, it has been suggested that the score-cards of the affected 1563 candidates issued on June 4, 2024 will stand cancelled and withdrawn. These affected 1563 candidates will be informed of their actual scores without compensatory marks. Further, re-examination will be conducted for the affected 1563 candidates.

"The results of the affected candidates who do not wish to appear for the re-examination will be declared on their actual marks without compensation obtained by them in the examination held on May 5, 2024 and the marks obtained by the candidates who will appear in the retest will be considered and their marks based on the examination held on May 5, 2024 will be discarded," the bench noted in the order.  The results of the re-test will be declared on June 30 and the counselling for admissions to MBBS, BDS, and other courses will start on July 6, the Centre said.

Lawyer J Sai Deepak, appearing for Alakh Pandey, the chief executive of EdTech firm ‘Physics Wallah', assailed the random award of grace marks and said the option of re-test be given to all those students who could not approach the court alleging loss of time.

The bench declined the plea saying that it cannot expand the scope of the case to those who had not approached the court.

The bench issued notices to the Centre and the NTA on three petitions and tagged them with the pending pleas. It said they all will be taken up together on July 8 after the summer vacation.  Pandey has assailed the alleged random award of grace marks to over 1,500 candidates and urged the top court to set up an expert panel under its supervision to "enquire into the examination process and results of NEET (UG) 2024.”

He has, in his plea filed through lawyer Rohit Jain, the managing partner of law firm ‘Singhania & Co', also sought a direction to the expert panel he has mooted "to come up with improvement in the process of conducting NEET examination and without hampering the interest of the other students".

Another petition filed by Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Dr. Shaik Roshan Mohiddin sought recall of the NEET-UG 2024 results and conduct of a fresh exam over allegations of paper leak and other malpractices.  The third plea, filed by NEET-UG aspirant Jaripiti Kartheek challenged the award of grace marks as compensation for alleged loss of time during the exam.

The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates took it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier. The allegations have led to protests in several cities and filing of cases in seven high courts as also the Supreme Court. Scores of students protested in Delhi on June 10 seeking a probe into alleged irregularities.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.