Grace marks cancelled for NEET-UG candidates; Re-test offered: Centre tells SC

The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the decision had been made to cancel the grace marks awarded to 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates due to time loss during the exam. These candidates will be informed of their actual scores without the grace marks and offered the option to retake the exam. Those opting out of the re-test will have their scores from the original exam on May 5 considered.

Advocate Kanu Agarwal, representing the Union Government, informed a vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a decision had been made by a panel constituted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 12 to address students’ concerns. The panel found that awarding compensatory marks had led to a skewed situation, as the marks were only applied to unattempted questions. Consequently, they recommended canceling the scorecards and informing the affected students of their true marks.

Also read: Delhi: Plan to convert historic Town Hall into hotel scrapped

The bench issued the following order:

“The petitioner who appeared for NEET-UG 2024 has raised a grievance regarding the grant of compensatory marks to 1,563 candidates using the normalization formula where, at the examination centers, candidates were not allowed the full 3 hours and 20 minutes. The compensatory marks awarded based on a Grievance Redressal Committee recommendation relied on a judgment in the case of Disha Panchal vs. Union of India and others. This award of compensatory marks was challenged. The NTA constituted another committee to reconsider the issue, which held meetings on June 10, 11, and 12, 2024, and made recommendations to cancel the scorecards of the 1,563 candidates and inform them of their actual scores without compensatory marks. A re-examination will be conducted for the affected candidates. Those who do not wish to retake the exam will have their actual marks from the May 5, 2024 exam considered, and the marks from the re-test will replace their original scores.”

Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing the NTA, confirmed that the re-test would be notified on June 13 and is likely to be held on June 23, with results published before June 30 to ensure the July 6 counselling schedule proceeds as planned.

Also read: Water Crisis: SC slams Delhi govt, asks what action it has taken against tanker mafia in city

Recording these submissions, the Court disposed of one petition challenging the grant of grace marks and issued notice on another petition alleging a paper leak, tagging it with similar petitions scheduled for June 8.