On May 5, several social media posts alleged that the exam questions for NEET–UG (India’s central exam for medical aspirants taken by 24 lakh students) were leaked in advance. The apex examination body which conducts these exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA), denied these allegations. But said that incorrect distribution of papers had occurred at an examination centre in Rajasthan and dismissed it as an “isolated incident”.

The same day, in Patna, police got a tip-off about a scandal involving the examination. FIRs were registered, and on May 11, the Economic Offences Unit of the Bihar Police took over the case after the involvement of several organised gangs were established.

In Gujarat, also on the same day, the district education department of Godhra raided a NEET–UG centre where it seized a list of students from a school teacher. It was alleged that help would be provided to some of these students in solving select questions. An FIR was filed against the teacher and two others on charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy. Subsequently arrests were made.

These three incidents — now colloquially called Rajasthan, Bihar and Godhra chapters — indicate larger malpractices in the conduct of examinations by the NTA, raising questions on the “sanctity of such examinations”.

The results declared on June 4 further fanned the fire. 

The merit list shows there were 67 toppers (720 marks out of 720). Eight of the candidates who obtained the perfect score came from a single exam centre in Jhajjar, Haryana. A number of candidates also received marks that were theoretically impossible as per the answer grid. Perhaps the grace marks were to blame for this. 

Nearly 10,000 candidates challenged the answer sheet and the concept of awarding of grace marks which benefitted 1,563 candidates; and 44 with the perfect score. While the grace marks were cancelled — in a submission by the NTA to the Supreme Court — and a re-test ordered for these 1,563 (failing which their score would be considered minus the grace marks), it failed to pacify the already strengthening demand for scrapping NEET-UG 2024 and associated student protests.

The allegations of paper leak and association of organised paper solving gangs refused to die. Protests intensified, while the Supreme Court said it would continue to hear other petitions relating to alleged malpractices and suspected paper leak.

But then on June 19, the Education Ministry announced cancellation of the UGC–NET, an examination for assistant professors and junior research fellows (taken by nine lakh aspirants) over paper leaks. The exam was cancelled a day after it was conducted.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed that copies of the question paper had been released “on the dark net” and on select messaging platforms like Telegram. “A CBI probe has been ordered and a high-level committee of experts will be formed to re-haul the exam procedure, suggest SOPs and formulate ways to prevent leaks,” the Minister said. 

The NTA on June 21 announced the postponement of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) examinations scheduled for June 25 to June 27, 2024, due to “unavoidable circumstances”. And on June 22, the Health Ministry announced postponement of NEET–PG exams “as a precautionary measure” and amidst these allegations of irregularities the then head of the exam body Subodh Kumar Singh was removed.

Pandora’s box opened

The incidents have opened a Pandora’s box with the key question being whether the NTA is equipped enough to carry out these exams on such a large scale. Constituted in 2017, the NTA is a testing agency and an autonomous body under the Department of Higher Education in the Union Ministry of Education.

Initially, the NTA was only meant to conduct computer-based tests for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to engineering colleges and University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), which until last year was done online. The NTA partnered with technical service providers for the online exams.

Why was there a shift from online to OMR (optical mark recognition) sheet-based (pen and paper) mode this year is a question that has not been answered satisfactorily. “We took stakeholder feedback, and a decision was taken in the best interest of all,” a senior Education Ministry official said.

It is being argued that having the exams in a pen-and-paper mode would involve “several moving parts” that include, printing and transporting these papers, involvement of third parties, which heighten chances of a leak.

A survey of some of the NTA’s tender documents by businessline show that the organisation outsources almost everything. It hires manpower and also allows the successful bidders to hire third parties.

An active tender for “the establishment of Computer Based Test (CBT)” reads: “The successful bidder will be the single point of contact for all communication for NTA”. Responsibility lies with the successful bidder. The tender further adds (in the Third Party contracts segment) that a successful bidder can hire a third party for its work without NTA’s permission.

And it is knives out now for the exam body.

Some State governments, including West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, have claimed that the Centre revert to “the old system” wherein State governments conduct their medical entrance exams”. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution to scrap NEET. The Opposition parties have sought a discussion on the paper-leak scandal in Parliament.

Student opinion is divided, in the middle of this confusion. Some want a re-test, others don’t. According to some, “re-tests would be tough”.

“We prepared for nearly two years for NEET. And now if all of a sudden, a re-test has to be taken, say in one month or so, it could affect performances. Some of us have already done well without cheating. A re-test puts a student under unnecessary mental pressure,” the student said, requesting anonymity.

On the other hand, some feel that the NTA’s marking system and ranking lacks transparency at present. “We do not know the extent of the paper leaks. How many students benefited, whether there were any further compromises in the evaluation process or not, we have no idea. So a complete re-test would be better,” another student said.

Panel to re-haul

To allay concerns the Education Ministry formed a high-level seven-member panel on June 22, headed by former Chairman of ISRO, Dr K Radhakrishnan to discuss the establishment of security protocols at each stage, including a robust procedure for conduct of any exam by the NTA. 

This also includes rules of evaluation and setting of the question paper to its printing and distribution.

Hours before this, the Centre had notified the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which provides for up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹1 crore for malpractices and organised cheating in exams. The Act came into effect from June 21 bringing those found guilty in the current instances of paper leak and other alleged irregularities under its ambit.

“We are looking to develop a tamper-proof, fool-proof system and exam mechanism, one with zero error,” Dr Radhakrishnan said post the committee’s first meeting

The panel has sought suggestions, views and ideas from stakeholders, particularly students and parents, to recommend reforms in the agency’s examination process. The suggestions can be submitted till July 7, 2024.

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