NEET UG result row: Education minister flags 'irregularities', says 'lot of improvement required in NTA'

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks to the media over the NEET issue, in New Delhi.

Amid raging controversy and allegations over NEET-UG 2024 results, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that irregularities have been found and those guilty won't be spared.

Pradhan made the comment while speaking in Odisha.

“On the recommendations of the Supreme Court, the order has been given for re-test of 1,563 candidates. Some irregularities have come to light in two places. I assure students and parents that the government has taken this seriously," Pradhan told ANI.

The Union Minister said that even if the big officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) are found guilty, they will not be spared.

"The government is concerned about this, no culprit will be spared, they will get the harshest punishment," said the minister.

Pradhan also said that a lot of improvement is required in NTA.

Protests were being held at several places across the country demanding re-tests amid allegations of paper leaks and the allocation of grace marks to students after as many as 67 students scored a perfect 720.

The examination was held on May 5 by the National Testing Agency (NTA) across 4,750 examination centres for approximately 24 lakh students.

Meanwhile, several petitions have also been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct a fresh examination.

After the apex court's observation, the NTA has withdrawn grace marks awarded to all 1563 students. The re-test of those students will be held on June 23 and the results of the re-test will be declared on June 30.

Whereas, those students who do not want to take a re-test, their result will be declared without grace marks.

Kapil Sibal demands probe by SC-appointed officials

Former HRD minister Kapil Sibal demanded a probe by Supreme Court-appointed officials. "If the testing system in any examination becomes corrupt then it is “not really neat for the PM to remain silent” said Rajya Sabha MP in an interview to PTI.