NEET-UG 2024 Result OMR Controversy: 'OMR torn intentionally,' UP candidate alleges mishandling of answer sheet

In the aftermath of the NEET result announcement, Ayushi Patel, a candidate hailing from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, expressed issued with the results, claiming she should have scored 715 marks in the medical entrance examination.

In a video statement, Patel disclosed that upon the publication of NEET results, she encountered an issue while attempting to check her scores, with an error message displaying, “your result has not been generated.” She initially assumed it to be a website error as over 23 lakh students were trying to access the result at the same time.

Following the result publication, Patel received an email from the National Testing Agency (NTA) an hour later, indicating that her result could not be generated due to a torn and damaged Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet.

Seeking resolution, Patel promptly responded to the NTA via email, requesting a photocopy of her OMR sheet. Her request was acknowledged, and she received a copy of the document within 24 hours.

Upon scrutinising the OMR sheet provided by the agency, Patel alleged that the barcode appeared deliberately torn, with all her responses visibly marked on the sheet.

Manually tallying the responses against the final answer key, Patel asserted that her calculated NEET score amounted to 715.

Taking legal recourse, the candidate has lodged a petition with the Allahabad High Court, with a hearing scheduled for today, Tuesday, June 11.

In response to the viral video circulating online, the NTA issued a statement clarifying that the damaged OMR sheet in question was not transmitted through an official NTA email.

The NTA emphasised the integrity of the OMR sheets and the accuracy of scores recorded in official records, urging candidates to obtain their scorecards exclusively from the designated website, exams.nta.ac.in/NEET.

During a recent press briefing on June 8, the NTA's Director-General stressed that the discretion to award grace marks was endorsed by a committee in light of complications faced by candidates due to time constraints arising from erroneous question papers and damaged OMR sheets.

A special four-member committee has been instituted to investigate the matter further to address the evolving situation. A conclusive decision, potentially involving a re-examination, will be taken on the bases of committee's final report which is expected tp be released within a week.

Amidst the controversy, opposition figures such as Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party have criticised the government's handling of the NEET examination episode. Gandhi pledged to advocate for student concerns within the legislative sphere. She even shared Patel's video on X, questioning the system.