"Miniscule, No Bearing…": Centre To Supreme Court On NEET Paper Leak In Bihar
The Centre informed the Supreme Court in a late-night affidavit filed on Wednesday that the alleged NEET paper leak in Patna, Bihar, is ‘miniscule’ and it has no bearing on the entire examination that was held on May 5, 204. The top court was informed by the centre that the case was initially investigated by the Economics Offence Wing of Bihar Police and is now under the purview of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Centre, in the affidavit, noted that it was refraining from making any comments as the ongoing investigation would reveal the truth, and it would be premature to make any assertions at this stage. However, based on current findings, the Centre stated that the alleged incident does not appear to have impacted the overall conduct of the examination.
“However, based on the revelations made so far in the case, it is humbly submitted that the alleged incident/attempt of leak does not seem to have any bearing on the conduct of entire examination, as the number of students/candidates found to be involved by the investigating agencies is minuscule compared to number of candidates who appeared. The cancellation of the entire examination on the basis of the aforesaid factor, would be hugely counterproductive and significantly harmful to the larger public interest, especially to the career prospects of the qualified candidates,” the affidavit said.
Read also: What IIT Madras Analysis Said About ‘Malpractices’ In NEET
The CBI has so far arrested eight persons in Bihar and Jharkhand related to the NEET-UG paper leak case, as well as individuals in Latur, Godhra, and Dehradun in connection with broader conspiracies. Following widespread allegations of malpractice in the May 5 exam, the Central government assigned the CBI to investigate the matter.
National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Examination or NEET for Undergraduate students, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is the entrance examination for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses in government and private institutions across India. In MBBS alone, more than one lakh seats are offered based on the NEET examination. The NEET-UG 2024 exam was attended by approximately 24 lakh candidates, and it faced significant controversy regarding the alleged paper leak and also about several issues related to grace marks provided to more than 1,500 students.
In its affidavit, the Centre also submitted an analysis by IIT Madras, which found no abnormalities in the NEET-UG results despite concerns over the question paper leak. IIT Madras conducted a detailed data analysis for 2023 and 2024 and reported that the marks distribution followed a normal bell curve, indicating no irregularities. The analysis, which covered the top 1.4 lakh ranks, aligning with the total available seats of around 1.1 lakhs, showed no significant abnormalities in city-wise and center-wise performance.
Additionally, the IIT Madras analysis found no evidence of mass malpractice or localized high scores due to cheating. The overall increase in scores, especially in the 550-720 range, was attributed to a 25% syllabus reduction. High scorers were spread across multiple cities and centers, suggesting minimal likelihood of malpractice.
