Maharashtra Minister Hasan Mushrif demands scrapping of NEET

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG was held on May 5. Representation Pic

Amid controversy over the inflation of marks that resulted in as many as 67 candidates securing the top rank in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG entrance exam, Maharashtra Minister of Medical Education Hasan Mushrif has alleged graft in the conduct of the exams and demanded they be scrapped.

Mushrif, on Friday, said, "The NEET results declared appear to indicate that the exam was conducted under dubious circumstances, possibly involving bribery. Last year, only two students across the country managed a top score of 720 out of 720. Now, with a significant increase in perfect scores, it has come to light that grace marks were awarded. As a result, students from Maharashtra may be unable to secure admission to any medical college, whether private or government. This is unfair to the students of Maharashtra."

Mushrif said that he would write on behalf of the Maharashtra government to the National Medical Commission (NMC) demanding that these exams be scrapped immediately. "This is my opinion and demand as the Minister of Medical Education for Maharashtra state," he added.

The results of NEET-UG, declared on June 4, have been surrounded by allegations of irregularities, prompting parents across the country to file complaints. As a result, the test conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, has come under scrutiny. Suspicions were raised after a few aspirants posted on social media. One of them wrote: "67 students scoring 720 out of 720 marks raises suspicion. This is playing with the future of lakhs of candidates, and there is anger among the students. The government should conduct a high-level investigation."

In an official statement issued on Thursday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) clarified that candidates who lost examination time were compensated with grace marks. "Out of the 67 candidates who scored 720/720 marks, 44 did so due to a revision in one answer key of Physics, and six were awarded compensatory marks for loss of time," the NTA explained. The NTA also refuted allegations that six toppers were from the same centre in Haryana, emphasising that the top scorers came from across the country. The agency assured that the test's integrity had not been compromised. "The increase in the cutoff reflects the competitive nature of the examination and the higher performance standards achieved by the candidates this year," said a senior NTA official.

Regarding the grace marks, the NTA explained that several petitions were filed in multiple high courts concerning the loss of exam time at some centres. "The concerns raised by the candidates through these petitions were verified, and 1,563 candidates were compensated. The revised marks of these candidates range from 20 to 720, with two candidates scoring 718 and 719 due to compensatory marks," the official added.