[NEET-UG] Data analytics show no abnormalities in exam results; malpractices not likely: Centre to Supreme Court

The Central government has said that data analytics conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on the results of the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate 2024 show no abnormalities, and concludes that there is very less likelihood of malpractice having taken place. .The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that an exhaustive technical evaluation of the data pertaining to NEET(UG) 2024 was undertaken by IIT Madras. The parameters used for such study included marks distribution among candidates, city-wise and centre-wise rank distribution, among others."The marks distribution follows the bell-shaped curve that is witnessed in any large-scale examination indicating no abnormality...There is an overall increase in the marks obtained by students, specifically in the range of 550 to 720. This increase is seen across the cities and centres. This is attributed to 25% reduction in syllabus. In addition, candidates obtaining such high marks are spread across multiple cities and multiple centres, indicating very less likelihood of malpractice.".In its order passed on July 8, the Court had asked the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to submit the following information:1. Nature of the leak, the places where the leak took place and the amount of time which elapsed between the occurrence of the leak and the conduct of the examination2. Steps which have been taken until now to identify the beneficiaries of the leak.3. Whether it would be feasible, using data analytics either within the cyber forensic unit or any other expert agencies within the government or which may be employed by the government to identify suspect or suspicious cases.4. Modalities to be followed between the conclusion of the examination including the re-test which was held for 1,563 students and the actual commencement of the counselling process.5. Steps which would be taken hereafter to ensure the sanctity of the NEET so that instances of the kind which have transpired during the course of the present session are not repeated in the future.The third and fifth aspects were required to be answered by the Central government, while the rest were to be addressed by the NTA. The present affidavit has been filed in compliance with the same..In response to the fifth query, the government said that it would form a seven-member panel to recommend effective measures for the conduct of transparent, smooth and fair examinations by the NTA. As per the affidavit filed by the Union of India late Wednesday evening, the seven members are:Dr K Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman BoG, IIT KanpurDr Randeep Guleria, Former Director, AIIMS DelhiProf BJ Rao, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Hyderabad.Prof Ramamurthy K, Professor 4 Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT MadrasShri Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder, People Strong and Board Member- Karmayogi BharatProf Aditya Mittal, Dean Student Affairs, IIT DelhiShri Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.The committee has also co-opted two more members - Prof Amey Karkare, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur, and Dr Debapriya Roy, Assistant Professor at IIT Kanpur..Additionally, the Centre has said that it is making efforts to devise a solution-oriented mechanism so that 23 lakh students are not burdened by a re-examination based on "unsupported apprehensions".It signs off by saying that it is committed to ensuring sanctity of exams and protecting the interests of students..There is no doubt that the NEET-UG held on May 5 was compromised by a question paper leak, the Supreme Court had said earlier in July.The NTA was directed to inform the Court about steps taken to identify beneficiaries of the leak, the steps taken by the NTA to identify the centres/cities where the leak took place, and the modalities followed to identify beneficiaries of the leak.The Court even sought a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on its probe into the alleged leak and malpractices.The next hearing is on July 11, Thursday..The Court is seized of a batch of petitions relating to alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG exam this year.On June 11, the Supreme Court ordered the NTA to respond to some of the petitions but refused to halt counselling for admissions of students to medical colleges.The Central government as well as the NTA had earlier contended that there is no need to cancel the exam or hold a re-examination as there was no proof of large-scale breaches of confidentiality.