NEET-UG Results: Why NTA Allowed 15000 Registrations When HC Order Was For One, Asks SC

The CJI DY Chandrachud led bench before rising for lunch has asked NTA's counsel to get answers to several tough questions before the court resumes hearing after lunch.

The Supreme Court also asked NTA if it can be found out how many students out of 23 lakhs students changed their exam centers

Source : PTI

NEET-UG 2024: The Supreme Court while listening to the arguments on the question of re-examination in NEET-UG exams, asked the National Testing Agency to explain how they allowed 15,000 new registrations when the Rajasthan High Court order had directed opening the registration window for only one particular candidate. 

The CJI DY Chandrachud led bench before rising for lunch has asked NTA's counsel to get answers to several tough questions before the court resumes hearing after lunch.

"Out of those candidates who changed the centres, how many of them made it to one lakh eight thousand? And is there any skew in favour of those who registered on April 9 and 10," the CJI asked NTA to explain. 

The top court asked NTA to explain how many students out of the 15000 new registrations made on April 9 and 10, made it to the candidate list of top 108000 students who will be eligible for admissions in government and private colleges.

The Supreme Court also asked NTA if it can be found out how many students out of 23 lakhs students changed their exam centres when the correction window was opened. The NTA said that it can only know that 15,000 students utilised the correction window, but cannot say how many changed Centre as correction.

NTA further said that candidates can only fill the city, not the exam centre, in the correction form. The NTA allots centres by a computerised system.

Senior Advocate Hooda appearing for candidates raised several questions on how NTA dealt with the whole controversy surrounding NEET-UG results.

Hooda said that so far NTA has been silent on the case of Hardayal Singh School in Bahadurgarh. He said the wrong question paper was distributed at that Centre. While the entire country is giving the question paper kept with SBI Bank paper, they gave on Canara bank question (which was suppose to be the spare one.) 

Without disclosin it to anyone, the NTA gave gracemarks to students from that Centre and as a result 6 people scored 720/720.

"This is how they have arbitrarily awarded gracemarks," Hooda said.

He further accused NTA of "pick and choose" for arriving at the 1563 number for gracemarks and the consequent re-examination. He alleged that candidates who were not entitled to re-examination were also allowed.

CJI Chandrachud then asked that can it be found that out of 1563, how many fell in 1,08,000?

Hooda replied that NTA have not disclosed that.

The CJI said that the court will find out, "the proof of the pudding is in that." 

NTA in its reply told the Supreme Court that even though the the High Court order was for one student we did it as a "pro-student measure."

"We got representation from 2000 students and 900 emails for re-opening registration. Som students could not complete the application due to non-receipt of the OTP and other technical glitches," the counsel for NTA.

Out of 1585 new registration, those who will be getting admission (1,08,000) are only 44. Nearly 12,000 students are failing. This was not intended to help someone. It was a pro-student measure, the NTA counsel told the apex court.