New Delhi: The Supreme Court has assigned IIT-Delhi the task of resolving a disputed question in the NEET-UG 2024 Physics examination.
The court has instructed the director of IIT-Delhi to select three eminent professors to address the issue within 24 hours, a decision that could affect the results of over four lakh candidates, including 44 students who scored perfectly.
This directive followed a lengthy hearing on petitions that called for a re-examination due to claims of question paper leaks and inconsistencies. These concerns have overshadowed the futures of more than 23 lakh students who appeared for the exam on May 5.
The controversial NEET question pertains to two statements regarding atoms:
1. Atoms are electrically neutral because they contain equal numbers of protons and electrons.
2. Atoms of each element are stable and emit a characteristic spectrum.
Students had four options to identify the correct combination of these statements. Over 4.20 lakh students chose an answer based on an older edition of the NCERT textbook, while 9.28 lakh students selected an answer in line with the most recent NCERT edition. The petitioners contended that the National Testing Agency (NTA) should not consider both answers correct, as NEET guidelines mandate adherence to the latest NCERT edition. This led the NTA to award grace marks, resulting in 44 perfect scores.
Chief Justice Chandrachud noted that by granting marks for the second option, the NTA had contradicted its guidelines, potentially disadvantaging 4.20 lakh students. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta defended the NTA’s decision, suggesting that many students might have relied on older textbooks borrowed from siblings.
To settle the matter, the Supreme Court has requested an expert analysis from IIT-Delhi. The court has asked the Director to assemble a panel of three experts on the subject to determine the correct answer and report back by noon on July 23, 2024.
During the hearing, the Bench engaged the petitioners, repr
