NEET-UG 2024 Controversy: Physics Wallah CEO Alakh Pandey Moves SC Against NTA's Arbitrary Award Of Grace Marks To 1,500 Students

Physics Wallah founder and chief executive Alakh Pandey has taken a significant step by moving the Supreme Court (SC) against the National Testing Agency (NTA) for what he alleges is the random awarding of grace marks to at least 1,500 students in the NEET UG 2024 examination.

The matter is likely to be heard today (12 June).

Pandey, representing the Noida-based edtech firm, has accused the NTA of inefficiency in explaining the formula behind giving grace marks to the students.

He claimed that his team has gathered signatures from about 20,000 students, indicating that around 70 to 80 marks have been awarded randomly to at least 1,500 students.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (11 June) issued a notice to the Centre and NTA in response to another petition seeking to cancel the results of the NEET-UG 2024, a competitive entrance test for undergraduate medical courses, amid allegations of a paper leak.

"The sanctity of the exam has been affected, so we need answers,” stated a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah.

However, the court declined to stay the counselling and postponed the hearing on the case to 8 July.

“The case that was listed today (June 11) was filed before the declaration of results (June 1). The petition by us raises questions around awarding of grace marks, the procedure followed, disclosure of all details with full transparency, etc. My lawyers are trying to get it listed tomorrow, and we will raise our concerns on the ongoing actions of NTA before the Hon’ble Court,” Pandey was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

Advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Physics Wallah, added, “Our petition is slightly different. We are challenging the arbitrary award of grace marks. The court has indicated that our matter will also be taken up with the other matters, but the court is clear that it will not stay the counselling process at this stage."

The duo urged the apex Court to recognise the urgency of the matter, citing the significant distress and uncertainty faced by the students.

Pandey has petitioned the court to order a thorough investigation into the NEET UG 2024 examination by an independent high-powered committee.

They argued that a thorough investigation is essential to uncover the complexities and irregularities that have tarnished the credibility of the NEET UG 2024 exam.

They urged the court to consider re-conducting the exam if the investigation confirms the alleged discrepancies and procedural lapses.

The petition, filed on 1 June, stemmed from an investigation by Bihar police into an alleged paper leak for the NEET UG 2024 exam, which attracts lakhs of students competing for a limited number of seats.

Concerns were further raised when the test results, announced on June 4, revealed that 67 students had achieved a perfect score of 720, including six from the same examination centre, leading to suspicions of irregularities.

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