Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned the feasibility of solving 180 questions and preparing answers within 45 minutes, countering the Solicitor General’s argument. The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to ensure fairness and maintain the credibility of the NEET-UG examination process.
Story : Anjali Soni
Edit : Sushma Tomar
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has directed IIT-Delhi to resolve a contentious question from the NEET-UG 2024 Physics exam, a decision affecting over four lakh candidates. This directive came after a lengthy hearing on petitions demanding a re-examination due to alleged question paper leaks and inconsistencies. The controversy has cast a shadow over the futures of more than 23 lakh students who took the exam on May 5.
The Disputed Question The controversy revolves around a Physics question involving two statements about atoms:
1. Atoms are electrically neutral because they contain equal numbers of positive and negative charges.
2. Atoms of each element are stable and emit their characteristic spectrum.
Students were given four options to choose the correct combination of these statements. Over 4.20 lakh students selected an answer based on an older NCERT textbook edition, while 9.28 lakh students chose an answer aligned with the latest NCERT edition. Petitioners argued that the National Testing Agency (NTA) cannot mark both answers as correct, given that NEET instructions specify adhering to the latest NCERT edition. This discrepancy led the NTA to grant grace marks, resulting in 44 perfect scores.
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Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud highlighted that by awarding marks for the second option, the NTA contradicted its guidelines, potentially disadvantaging 4.20 lakh students. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta defended the NTA’s decision, suggesting that many students might have used older textbooks borrowed from siblings.
To resolve the issue, the Supreme Court requested an expert opinion from IIT-Delhi. The court directed the Director to form a team of three subject matter experts to determine the correct answer and report back by noon on July 23, 2024.
Parliamentary Clash
The NEET-UG 2024 controversy also led to a heated exchange in Parliament between Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Education Minister over the alleged paper leaks, asserting that the integrity of the Indian examination system is at stake.
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“It is obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem in our examination system, not just in NEET but in all the major examinations,” Gandhi stated. He claimed that millions of students perceive the system as fraudulent and demanded a separate one-day discussion on the matter. “The minister has blamed everybody except himself. I don’t even think he understands the fundamentals of what is going on here,” Gandhi added.
In response, Dharmendra Pradhan firmly denied any paper leaks during his tenure. “No evidence of paper leak has been found in the last 7 years. This (NEET) matter is going on before the Supreme Court. I can say with full responsibility that more than 240 exams have been conducted successfully after NTA,” he asserted.
Pradhan also defended the government’s efforts to tackle malpractices in competitive exams. He stated that the government had introduced a new law to address these issues, which the previous UPA government had scrapped under pressure. “A lie will not become truth just by shouting. The fact that the Leader of Opposition says that the country’s examination system is rubbish, is highly condemnable,” Pradhan retorted.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav joined the debate, criticizing the government’s handling of the issue. “This government will make a record of paper leaks. There are some centers where more than 2,000 students have passed. As long as this minister (Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) is there, the students will not get justice,” Yadav said.
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Pradhan responded by stating that the results had been made public as per the Supreme Court’s directions and challenged Yadav by pointing out the number of paper leaks during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. “I don’t want to do politics, but I have a list of how many paper leaks happened when Akhilesh Yadav was in charge,” Pradhan said.
When Congress MP Manickam Tagore questioned if the Minister would accept responsibility and consider resigning amid the massive row, Pradhan replied, “I am at the mercy of my leader, the Prime Minister. Whenever accountability comes, the government is collectively answerable to that.”
The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to ensure clarity and fairness in the NEET-UG evaluation process, addressing the grievances of all candidates involved and maintaining the credibility of the examination system.
The Supreme Court has resumed hearing the contentious NEET UG 2024 case, with petitioners having completed their arguments. The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Mishra, will now hear responses from the National Testing Agency (NTA). The Apex Court is expected to announce its final verdict today.
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Yesterday, the Supreme Court tasked IIT-Delhi with evaluating a disputed NEET-UG 2024 Physics question after petitioners argued that it had two correct answers. This issue reportedly impacted the merit list, as examinees who selected one of the correct answers were awarded four marks.
In a previous hearing on July 18, the Supreme Court directed the NTA to publish the NEET UG 2024 results on their website, ensuring candidate anonymity by masking identities city-wise and center-wise. The court also emphasized that an order to conduct NEET UG 2024 afresh would only be issued if it was proven that the integrity of the entire examination was compromised.
Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned the feasibility of solving 180 questions and preparing answers within 45 minutes, countering the Solicitor General’s argument. The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to ensure fairness and maintain the credibility of the NEET-UG examination process.
*दलित टाइम्स उन करोड़ो लोगो की आवाज़ है जिन्हें हाशिए पर रखा गया है। *
महिला, दलित और आदिवासियों के मुद्दों पर केंद्रित पत्रकारिता करने और मुख्यधारा की मीडिया में इनका प्रतिनिधित्व करने के लिए हमें आर्थिक सहयोग करें।
