Indian Youth Congress protest over NEET exam irregularities, Agniveer

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Thursday, 27 June, held a demonstration in New Delhi at Jantar Mantar over the alleged rigging of the NEET-UG exam and against the Agniveer scheme.

Several IYC workers gathered at the Jantar Mantar for the protest, raising slogans and carrying placards.

The NEET-UG examination was held on 5 May across 4,750 centres, and around 24 lakh candidates appeared. The results were expected to be declared on 14 June but were announced on 4 June, saying the evaluation of the answer sheets was completed earlier.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA’s history, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has sought the stand of the National Testing Agency (NTA) on a petition by an NEET candidate alleging an 'out of syllabus' question in the entrance examination.

The petitioner claimed one question in the physics section was based on 'radioactivity' when 'radioactivity topic' was not a part of the syllabus for this year's NEET-UG.

The petitioner also alleged a "manifest error" with respect to another question for which NTA declared the "incorrect option" as the right answer.

A vacation bench of justice Dharmesh Sharma granted two weeks' time to the counsel appearing for the authorities -- Centre, NTA and National Medical Commission, to file their response to the petition.

"Learned counsels for respondents No.1 to 3 are present on advance notice and a request is made to grant time to file a short affidavit. Let the same be filed within two weeks from today," said the bench in the order passed on 24 June.

The petitioner said although he is a "successful candidate", his overall ranking has been adversely affected due to the errors committed by the NTA.

"It is submitted that irregularities in competitive exams and that too where the examination is being held for preparing a host of future doctors, clearly deserves to be appreciated with utmost seriousness as it not only perpetuates inequalities by favouring the undeserving but while disadvantaging those in whose hands the health of the people of nations will rest in years to come," the petition filed through lawyer Sameer Kumar stated.

The matter would be heard next on 16 July.