Kerala Opposition leader, Telangana former minister KTR seek probe into alleged NEET irregularities

The party said the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) results have raised concerns about the authenticity of the national exam for medical courses, with many students casting doubt on the procedure.

In a letter to the Centre, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly VD Satheesan said many students from Kerala have personally expressed concerns about the NEET exam results.

“I write to demand a comprehensive investigation into the suspicious results of the recently published NEET results for 2024,” the Congress leader said in the letter sent to the secretaries of the departments of the Higher Education and Health and Family Welfare of the Union government.

He said it was “extremely alarming” to see that 67 students received full marks, with eight of them coming from the same examination centre.

“It should be noted that this figure is just two in 2023 and four in 2022. Furthermore, students received 719 and 718 marks out of 720, which is not theoretically achievable given the NEET exam format.”

The fact that the results were announced 10 days before the proposed date casts “considerable doubt” on the validity of the valuation procedure.

“The questionable results have added credence to the earlier-surfaced allegations regarding the NEET question paper leak. I regret to inform you (the Centre) that any malpractice in NEET results will undermine the hopes and dreams of thousands of qualified students,” the LoP said.

Ineligible candidates would degrade the quality of our healthcare system in the long run, which is deemed to be a great injustice to the generations to come, he added.

KTR demands answers

Former Telangana Minister, KTR, on Saturday, took to X to question the NEET results fiasco.

Questioning 67 students receiving full marks, KTR urged the newly forming NDA government to look into “Most sensitive issue pertaining to the future of millions of students.”

Further questioning the grace marks issues, he wrote: “Several students scored 718 and 719 marks, which is not possible in an exam with a (+4, -1) marking scheme. NTA then said they have given ‘Grace Marks’ for a few. Some students have reportedly received up to +100 grace marks.”

“The results were hastily declared on the same day as the election results.”

He posed more questions:

• No student from Telangana is in the top five for the first time in the last five years. This is due to various irregularities, we believe
• We demand the government to disclose the process followed for allocating grace marks. There should be a standardized methodology that benefits everyone, not just a select group of 1,500 students
• Overall, we demand justice and request the formation of a high-level expert committee to probe thoroughly and ensure fairness for all students and their families

I am sure the NDA Government has many challenges as they form a new Govt

But the one that deserves highest priority is the most sensitive issue pertaining to the future of millions of students; the Fiasco of #NEET2024result

Unlike previous years, this year a total of 67…

— KTR (@KTRBRS) June 8, 2024

Also Read: NEET protests intensify: NSUI joins agitation as NTA continues to face flak

(With PTI inputs)