Delhi HC issues notice on batch of pleas concerning NEET-UG results

Mehta said that the NTA was in the process of filing a transfer petition to get all these writ petitions consolidated before the Supreme Court. “We are filing transfer petitions in the Supreme Court because there is a likelihood of conflicting views by different high courts. Can you lordship consider waiting for a week or two, we will file a transfer petition,” the Solicitor General said.

The HC was informed that the issues raised in various writ petitions could be broadly categorised into three categories — awarding of “grace/ compensatory marks, alleged paper leak and some anomalies in the answers to certain questions”. The court, thereafter, issued a notice to the NTA, which sought time for filing a reply.

The matter has been listed for hearing on July 5.

One of the petitions before the HC, filed by a NEET-UG candidate, concerns a question that had two correct options in the answer key. The plea sought that equal marks be awarded to those who did not attempt the question as has been done for those who attempted either of the two correct answers.

“On 03.06.2024, the respondent (NTA) published the final answer key. It was observed that for question no. 29 of Test Booklet Code R5, both options 2 and 4 were considered correct, contrary to the instructions that stated only one option could be correct… Not awarding marks in case of a wrong question and forcing candidates to mark one, in the case of a question having two correct answers, is antithetical to the instruction that only one answer shall be right. It is submitted that it is extremely arbitrary for the respondent to expect candidates to attempt a wrong question, when there is negative marking and each mark can make a difference of hundreds of ranks, if not thousands,” the plea stated.

The plea further said that the declared results were “arbitrary” and based on unfair grace marks given without the application of mind.