In consonance with the directions of the Supreme Court, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is likely to release a revised merit list for the NEET UG 2024 exam within two days. The move will affect 44 exam toppers who may see their ranks slip by at least 88 positions, if not more.
In the results announced on June 4, there were a record 67 candidates who had scored a perfect 720 marks and tied for the top spot. Of these, six topped due to being compensated with extra marks for time lost during the examination because of mistakes made by invigilators. Apart from that, as many as 44 made it to the top because they got an answer to a basic physics question wrong and received “grace marks” for it.
Although the NTA agreed to compensate the 44 candidates with an additional five marks because the incorrect answer they marked was based on an erroneous reference in their earlier class XII NCERT science textbook, the Supreme Court decided that there would be only one correct answer and anyone responding with anything other than that would not receive any marks for it. In other words, these 44 candidates would now have a revised score of 715 out of 720.
Other than the remaining 14 candidates who have scored a perfect 720, there are another 70 candidates who have secured 716 marks out of 720. These 44 candidates will now be ranked below them. This may mean they will be ranked only after the 88th position.
Following the Supreme Court verdict on Tuesday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the NTA would release a new merit list in two days. He added that the government is committed to making the NTA “a transparent, tamper-free, error-free organisation”, and will take stringent legal action against those involved in the chaos.
“‘Satyamev Jayate’. Truth has prevailed,” Pradhan stated during a press briefing, welcoming the court’s stance. The Education Minister also underscored a firm stance on exam irregularities, stating, “Anyone found involved in exam irregularities will face consequences. We have zero tolerance for breaches; maintaining the integrity of exams is paramount for us.”
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