The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that there is no evidence of “mass malpractice” or localized advantage in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. Data analysis by IIT Madras indicates the marks distribution follows a bell-shaped curve, suggesting no irregularities.
In an additional affidavit, the Centre announced that the counselling process for undergraduate seats for the 2024-25 academic year will begin in the third week of July and occur in four rounds. The National Testing Agency (NTA) also filed an affidavit confirming that their analysis at national, state, city, and centre levels shows normal distribution of marks, with no external factors influencing the results.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is scheduled to hear related pleas about alleged irregularities in the May 5 test. On July 8, the Supreme Court noted that the integrity of NEET-UG 2024 had been “breached.”
Following the court’s direction, the Ministry of Education requested IIT Madras to conduct a comprehensive data analysis of the exam results. The analysis used various parameters, including marks distribution and rank distribution, finding that the marks distribution adhered to a typical bell-shaped curve with no signs of abnormal scores due to malpractice.
The analysis also noted an overall increase in scores, attributed to a 25% reduction in syllabus. High scores were distributed across multiple cities and centres, reducing the likelihood of localized malpractice. The Centre stated that any candidate found to have benefitted from malpractice would have their candidature canceled at any stage during or after the counselling process.
The Centre has established a high-level committee to recommend measures for ensuring fair and transparent examinations by the NTA. The NEET-UG 2024, held on May 5, saw participation from 23.33 lakh students across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. The Centre and the NTA previously argued that canceling the exam would harm honest candidates without proof of significant malpractice. The NEET-UG is conducted for admissions to various medical courses in government and private institutions across India.
