NEET results row: Maharashtra government urges Centre to stay counselling, remove grace marks, re-evaluate OMR sheets

Amid the raging controversy over the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 announced recently, the Maharashtra government on Monday urged the Centre to put a stay on the counselling process till this issue is resolved.

In a letter which has been accessed by IANS, the Principal Secretary in the Department of Medical Education, Dinesh Waghmare, appealed to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to remove the grace marks given to some specific students due to loss of time.

The state government's move came after around 67 candidates bagged the top rank in NEET-UG 2024 by scoring 99.997129 percentile points.

Of these, around six candidates had appeared for the exam from the same centre in Haryana. The average marks of 720 qualified candidates is 323.55. 

The results were also marred with charges of irregularities and paper leaks.

The Maharashtra government has also appealed to the Centre for a re-evaluation of all the OMR sheets with the actual results by conducting a forensic audit.

"Considering the seriousness of the issue, an early response in this matter will ensure justice for the NEET-UG 2024 aspirants," Waghmare said in the letter.

The official also said that the state government has received various representations from NEET aspirants and their parents alleging irregularities in the results.

"There was no provision for grace marks in the information brochure published by the NTA. Yet, the NTA has implemented one rule while publishing the results. 

There is a difference between the actual marks published in the scorecards and the marks in the OMR sheets. This has resulted in great loss for the NEET aspirants in Maharashtra,'' Waghmare said.

The state government also reiterated that the Centre should act promptly keeping in mind the educational interests of the students.

The NEET-UG 2024 was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres, including 14 overseas centres.