Tamil Nadu Govt Wants Ban On NEET Amid Question Paper Leaks & Specific States Getting Toppers. Calls are getting louder in Tamil Nadu to ban the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), the national-level entrance examination, due to discrepancies and irregularities. Students and institutes across various states have cast a shadow on the entrance exam after 67 students scored the perfect 720 out of 720, while other students got different marks.
MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu chief minister, and DMK party chief, reiterated the state government’s position to do away with the exam. He highlighted the need to bring back the previous exam system deployed by the respective states. Stalin took to the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to share his concerns.
He put forth issues such as paper leaks, clustering of toppers at specific centers, and award of marks. The Tamil Nadu CM says it is mathematically impossible. He added that grace marks highlight the pitfalls of the current Union Government’s centralization. Stalin believes it undermines federal polity and is against social justice. Moreover, it impacts the availability of doctors in deserving areas.
Dark Clouds Around NEET
Edappadi Palaniswami, AIADMK general secretary, pointed out that there have been allegations of malpractices at multiple levels in northern states – from allocation of exam centers to distribution of question papers. He urged the new government at the center to give a clear explanation about the alleged irregularities and to cancel NEET.
Following the NEET results on June 4, the National Testing Agency (NTA) acknowledged that there have been cases of malpractice or impersonation where strict action had been taken against impersonators and candidates. There had been an incident whereby wrong question papers were distributed at an exam center in Rajasthan. But the NTA said the integrity of the examination process was not compromised; the exam was reconducted for the affected (120) candidates.
Madan Gowri, a social media influencer, says NEET is for rich parents to send their children to costly coaching centers and make them doctors. He believes NEET doesn’t treat Indians equally. Students have been urging the central government to bring back the state merit system.
Also Read: Election Results 2024: Does a Coalition Government Mean Downfall of a Dynamic Leader?
Meanwhile, the National Student Union of India (NSUI) is also protesting, calling for an investigation of the NEET Scam. NSUI tweeted NEET aspirats are facing anxiety and mental trauma because of the irresponsible behavior of the Director General of NTA.
The union alleged that the NTA is playing with the future of lakhs of students across India. It demands fair re-examination of NEET for all students and calls for strict action against the culprits.
Calcutta High Court Wants NTA to Respond to PIL on NEET Irregularities
A public interest litigation (PIL), filed by Tanmoy Chattopadhyay, is before the Calcutta High Court highlighting irregularities in the NEET (UG) 2024 exam. The petitioner highlighted that candidates could not have scored 718 or 719 as per the applicable marking and score system.
The court noted that NTA justified the grant of marks by relying on the decision of the Supreme Court in the Akshat Aggarwal and Others v. Union of India and Others. As such, the bench asked the NTA to file a proper affidavit. It also asked the NTA to divulge the reservation policy of the state as well as the central government that has been followed in preparing the merit list for NEET.
