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An affidavit was filed in the Supreme Court on July 10 by the Centre stating that there were no abnormalities in the 2024 National Eligibility and Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG) exam. NEET UG was held on May 5, 2024, and the results were released on June 4, followed by protests due to several allegations of malpractice.
The affidavit comes after the Supreme Court's order to the Centre on July 8 to submit a detailed report on the extent of the paper leak and if possible, identification of the beneficiaries of the fraud.
The data that was released by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, in a document titled "Data Analytics on NEET(UG) - 2024 Examination, Detailed Report submitted by IIT Madras", summarises the report in four points stating:
1) That the marks distribution indicates no 'abnormality' as witnessed in a large-scale examination.
2) A city wise, and centre-wise analysis for 2023 and 2024 was carried out for the top 1.4 lakh students
3) It stated that there were no indications of malpractice found nor a localised set of candidates benefitted.
4) The overall increase in marks, specifically in the range of 550 to 720, has been attributed to a 25 per cent reduction in syllabus.
However, social media users are claiming that the "manufactured" data protects the interests of the Centre. Here are a few allegations:
Allegation 1: Manipulated graph
Discrepancies were found in the data published by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and IIT Madras. As per the data released by IIT Madras, in 2024, almost 31,000 students scored between 600 to 660 but a table released by the NTA shows more than 51,358 students scored within the range.
Allegation 2: NTA provided incorrect data to IIT Madras
It is alleged that the exam conducting body provided incorrect data to IIT Madras by giving them previous years' data.
Allegation 3: Wrong projection
Projections are well understood when a comparison is drawn, and this is what a user on X says. He pointed out that the bell-shaped curve is devoid of the data of the previous years to show the difference in scores with time.
Here is what it may look like:
Comparison 1:
Comparison 2:
Allegation 4: Another incorrect analysis
As per the bell-shaped curve, the individual who scored 651 has a rank of 28,193, but the graph shows that it is at a much lower range than 28,000
Allegation 5: Manipulated data
One such user pointed out that it may be practically impossible for students scoring within a range of 620 to be ranked within the range of 22,000, given the inflation of ranks.
Allegation 6: NTA and IIT Madras' data conclude differently
Students who have scored within 640 marks are 12,700 in number but students who have scored within 650 - 699 as per NTA data is 27,885. "How is this possible?" inquires the netizen.
Allegation 7: How can IIT Madras term massive rank inflation as "normal"
Maheshwar Peri, an educationist, and Founder and Chairman of an education enterprise, Careers360, tags the error and calls it "alarming".
Allegedly, there has been a 3250% rank inflation (students who scored 720) in 2024 as compared to 2023.
The year 2022 as compared to 2023 witnessed a zero per cent rank inflation. The year 2021 compared to 2022 witnessed a -100% rank inflation.
Allegation 8: IIT Madras's 'quid pro quo' stance
As per a set of old reports, grace marks were awarded to all students in a Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and IIT Madras's argument to back the move was unjustified, claims a former IIT Kanpur professor.
As per the post, the institution might have a "quid pro quo" relationship with the Centre.
Here are more details on it:
Hearing on the NEET-UG matters will be further taken up on Thursday, July 18 at the Supreme Court.
