Why Are Over 4 Lakh Students Losing Physics Marks After SC's NEET-UG Ruling?

New Delhi: Over four lakh students who took the NEET-UG exam will lose four marks after the Supreme Court ruled that only one correct answer from a set of four is valid. A student highlighted that ‘Question number 29’ in the Physics section had two correct answers, whereas there should have been only one. Among the students who will lose four marks are 44 who had achieved a perfect score of 720/720. 

During a top court hearing on Monday, the petitioner highlighted an anomaly where two answers were marked as correct for a question, leading to discrepancies in scoring. The petitioner argued that those who selected one of the two correct answers were awarded four marks, which could significantly affect the final merit list of successful candidates. 

The Supreme Court's decision followed a report from a team of three experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, which resolved the issue concerning the "atoms" question and its characteristics. 

" We agree with the IIT Delhi report and instruct the NTA to re-evaluate the NEET UG results, considering option 4 as the sole correct answer for the question," the Supreme Court said today after consulting the response from a three-member team constituted by IIT Delhi director. 

The court has also rejected several petitions requesting the cancellation and retest of the NEET UG 2024 medical entrance exam. Chief Justice Chandrachud stated that there was no evidence of a systemic leak of the question paper or other forms of malpractice.