Bengal: NEET candidate moves Calcutta HC over exam irregularities

Kolkata, July 23 (IANS) Amidst protests over the alleged question leak in the National Eligibility‑cum‑Entrance Test (NEET) UG, a candidate from Hooghly district on Thursday filed a case in the Calcutta High Court alleging that her marks in the exam were rigged. She also sought re‑verification of her Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet.

Justice Amrita Singh has sought an immediate response from the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the matter, noting that counselling for medical admissions is underway across the country. The Judge directed the NTA to quickly present its statement in court. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for Tuesday, 28 July.

The case was filed by Shreya Mohanty, a candidate from Dankuni in Hooghly. She claimed that the “Answer Key” of her serial number in the 21 June exam did not match her OMR. According to her, she should have scored between 659 and 661 marks, but the NTA results showed only 289 marks, a difference of about 370 marks. She alleged corruption in the evaluation process.

The total marks in NEET are 720. Four marks are awarded for each correct answer, one mark deducted for a wrong answer, and zero for no response. Each examinee’s OMR is evaluated according to their serial number, with the NTA publishing the “Answer Key” on its website. OMRs were also sent to candidates’ emails following allegations of corruption. Mohanty claimed her OMR did not match the Answer Key, resulting in a shortfall of about 370 marks.

Her lawyer, Sabyasachi Chatterjee, argued in the High Court that OMRs are evaluated by computer and such a large discrepancy cannot be due to machine error. He alleged corruption in the OMR verification process.

Justice Singh reiterated that the NTA must explain the discrepancy promptly, given the ongoing counselling process. The examining body has been directed to clarify why there was such a significant gap in the marks.

–IANS

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