NEET: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Meets Candidates At His Residence Amid NEET Controversy

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday, met with several NEET aspirants at his residence to address concerns over alleged irregularities in this year's medical entrance exam, as per PTI. During the meeting, students expressed their worries about the uncertainty surrounding the exam's outcome, delays in the counselling process, and the potential impact on the academic calendar.

Despite calls for a retest from various quarters, the education ministry has maintained that incidents of paper leaks were localized. The ministry emphasized that canceling the exam could jeopardize the careers of the many candidates who passed the test fairly.

The issue has also reached the Supreme Court, which has adjourned the hearing until July 18 on petitions seeking the cancellation of the exam and a re-conduct. Petitioners have also called for an investigation into the alleged malpractices. The ministry informed the Supreme Court that IIT Madras conducted data analytics on the NEET-UG 2024 results, revealing no evidence of "mass malpractice" or a localized group of candidates unfairly benefiting from abnormally high scores.

The government's statement is significant, especially in light of the Supreme Court's remarks on July 8 suggesting a re-test could be ordered if widespread malpractices are confirmed. The CBI is currently investigating the matter. In earlier affidavits filed with the apex court, the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) argued that canceling the exam would be "counterproductive" and could "seriously jeopardize" the futures of thousands of honest candidates, citing the absence of substantial evidence of a widespread breach of confidentiality.

This year, more than 23.33 lakh students took the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 cities overseas. NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, is for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions nationwide.

(With inputs from PTI).