NEET UG 2024: Supreme Court Declines Re-Test Request, Results Stand

A panel of three experts from IIT Delhi has informed the Supreme Court that there was only one correct answer to a controversial physics question in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. A bench, including Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala, had requested the Director of IIT-Delhi to assemble a team of experts to examine the question and report the correct answer by Tuesday noon.

Chief Justice Chandrachud mentioned the report, stating, "We have received the IIT Delhi report. The IIT Director, Rangan Banerjee, constituted a committee from the Department of Physics, and they confirmed that the correct answer is option four."

The bench further elaborated that option four, which states, "Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect," is the correct answer. Therefore, the National Testing Agency (NTA) was accurate in its answer key. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the NTA, is currently presenting arguments.

The Supreme Court is hearing multiple pleas, including requests for a re-test of NEET-UG due to allegations of question paper leaks and other malpractices. During Monday's arguments, the bench encountered a debate over the physics question, with claims that it had two correct answers. Some examinees who selected one of the supposed correct answers were awarded four marks. It was argued that different sets of candidates received varying marks or penalties for their responses, potentially affecting the merit list.

The bench then asked the IIT-D director to form a team of subject experts to investigate. PTI also sought the opinion of Naveen Gaur, an Associate Professor at Delhi University and an IIT Madras alumnus, on the question.

The contentious question reads: Given below are two statements: Statement I: Atoms are electrically neutral as they contain equal numbers of positive and negative charges. Statement II: Atoms of each element are stable and emit their characteristic spectrum.
Options:
Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct.
Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect.
Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
Professor Gaur confirmed that option four is the only correct answer.

More than 23.33 lakh students took the test on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 overseas locations. NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, is the entrance exam for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and related courses in government and private institutions across India.