NEET RESULT: One exam and three results! Why did such a situation arise in the NEET-UG case?

The result of any exam is declared only once, but the country had to declare the result thrice for NEET-UG exam 2024. The results were declared for the first time on June 4, the same day as the results of the Lok Sabha elections. As the country was in an election mode, the results were not discussed as much as they usually are. The next day i.e. 5th June, the discussion about NEET started and questions were raised about the result.

Controversy started over grace marks and toppers in the result. 67 students secured first rank with 720 marks. As the controversy escalated, some students approached the Supreme Court. After this, the National Testing Agency i.e. NTA, which conducts the NEET exam, announced a re-test for 1563 students with grace marks and the exam was re-conducted. The result of 1563 students was declared for the second time on 30th June.

Supreme Order to re-declare the result

On 23rd July Supreme Court ordered NTA to re-declare NEET exam result. NTN has said that it will announce the new merit list in next two days. If seen this way, NEET-UG 2024 will be the first exam for which the result had to be declared not once but thrice. There are many reasons behind why the result was declared three times. It is important for us to know those reasons sequentially.

1. Examination on 5th May: NEET-UG examination was held across the country. A few hours after the completion of the exam, the issue of paper leak was raised in Patna, the capital of Bihar. In haste, the first arrest was made from Patna itself. Following this, on 11 May, Bihar's Economic Offenses Branch began investigating the case.
2. Petition to Supreme Court on June 1: Some students approached the Supreme Court on June 1 regarding the paper leak. In their petition, the students alleged paper leak and manipulation. After this, the final answer key was released on June 3.
3. Result on June 4: NTA declared the result just as there was a clamor over the paper leak. The result was supposed to be declared on June 10, but the NTA declared it six days earlier. When the result of the exam was declared, it was found that 61 students have topped and all got 720 marks.
4. Controversy over grace marks June 5: NTA's clarification came out after not one or two but 61 students cited grace marks for this. Many students raised questions on the system of awarding grace marks. After this NTA decided to re-exam for 1563 students. These were the students who got the benefit of grace marks in the exam.
5. Supreme Court Notice on June 14: The Supreme Court, while hearing the petition, issued notice to the NTA and the government and sought their response. On the other hand, students came out to protest. There were demands to cancel the NEET exam in various states. The opposition also attacked the government.
6. CBI probe ordered on June 20: In view of student protests and allegations, the government on June 20 handed over the paper leak case investigation to the CBI. After getting the responsibility of investigation, CBI registered the case and its team reached Patna. From Patna, Hazaribagh in Jharkhand came on the CBI's radar. Many people were arrested and many information came to light.
7. Results are back on June 30: NTA declared the result of 1563 who got grace marks. Earlier, the final answer key was released on June 30 at 1:30 PM. After the result, the number of toppers has reduced from 67 to 61. Five of the six candidates who scored an aggregate score of 720/720 retook the exam.
8. Hearing begins on July 8: After the reply was filed by the NTA and the government on July 5, the Supreme Court began the hearing on July 8. The NTA denied any malpractice in the examination. NTA also refused to conduct re-examination. On the other hand, the government said that it does not want to cancel the exam unless there is evidence of paper leaks.
9. Supreme Court Decision on July 23: The Supreme Court gave its decision on the NEET paper leak. The Supreme Court said that there is no need to retake the exam. There are indications of paper leaks in Patna and Hazaribagh which are being investigated by the CBI.
10. Order to re-declare the result: Along with this, the court also ordered the NTA to re-declare the exam results. If seen this way, the result of the same exam will be declared for the third time now.