The Supreme Court’s (SC) vacation bench today, June 13, allowed the withdrawal of grace marks previously awarded to 1,563 candidates of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 and provided them with the option of a re-examination, as proposed by the Centre.
The decision came in response to a petition filed by Alakh Pandey, CEO of Physics Wallah, along with several others, challenging the controversial issue of grace marks in NEET-UG 2024.
“This is a big victory for the student community,” said Rohit Jain, the counsel on record for Mr Pandey. "The issue was closely related to Pandey’s field of work, and obtaining relief so quickly during the court’s vacation is indeed a major win for everyone at large."
The re-exam for the affected candidates is scheduled for June 23, with notifications to be sent out by June 13. Results from the re-exam will be published by June 30, in time for the admission counselling starting on July 6.
Jain also mentioned that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has acknowledged a few of the issues related to the grace marks, but concerns remain for students who did not formally register their grievances. "We are awaiting the final order. Based on that, we will take the necessary legal action," Jain added.
To address any post-result complications, Jain clarified that taking the re-exam is not mandatory. "Students may choose to forgo the re-exam and accept their original marks without the grace marks," he explained.
The Supreme Court was hearing three petitions related to NEET-UG irregularities. One petition, filed by Alakh Pandey, argued that the grace marks were arbitrary. The second was submitted by members of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Dr Shaik Roshan Mohiddin, who sought the recall of the NEET-UG 2024 results and a fresh exam. The third petition, by NEET candidate Jaripiti Kartheek, challenged the grace marks awarded as compensation for alleged lost time during the exam, as reported by LiveLaw.in.
