NEET Row: Rajkot, Sikar Centers' Extraordinary Results Raise Red Flags

Following a Supreme Court order, the National Testing Agency (NTA) released city-wise and centre-wise results for all 24 lakh students who took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024.

The results were published on the NTA's official website on Saturday.

Photo Credit: PTI

The NTA is currently facing scrutiny over allegations of irregularities, including a potential paper leak during the NEET-UG exam. A report by India Today of the released results shows an unusually high number of qualified candidates from two specific centers - Rajkot in Gujarat and Sikar in Rajasthan.

Rajkot Centre Performance

At the Unit-1 School of Engineering, RK University in Rajkot, Gujarat (centre number 22701), over 70% of the NEET-UG candidates qualified for medical college seats. Out of 1,968 students, 1,387 achieved the qualifying score.

Notably, 12 students scored 700 and above, 115 scored 650, 259 scored 600, 403 scored above 550, and 598 scored more than 500 marks. Additionally, one student achieved a perfect score of 720.

This centre had the highest number of students scoring over 700 marks in India, significantly contributing to Gujarat's total of 122 students scoring above 700, with 19 from Rajkot alone.

Sikar Centre Performance

In Sikar, Rajasthan, the Vidya Bharti School centre saw 8 students scoring above 700 marks, 69 above 650, 155 above 600, and 241 above 550, from a total of 1,001 students.

At Gurukul International School, 5 students scored above 700, 63 above 650, 132 above 600, and 181 above 550, from a total of 715 students. Overall, 149 students from Sikar scored more than 700, making up over 30% of Rajasthan's total of 482 students scoring above 700.

State-Wise Results

Rajasthan leads the state-wise results with 482 students scoring above 700 marks, followed by Maharashtra with 205, Kerala with 194, and Uttar Pradesh with 184.

Other states such as Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Haryana have seen arrests by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) related to alleged leaks of the NEET-UG exam question paper.

Centres Under Scrutiny

Several centres are under scrutiny for potential paper leaks. At Jay Jalaram International School in Gujarat's Godhra, the highest score was 678, and at Jay Jalaram School in Dahod, the highest was 600.

At Hardayal Public School in Haryana's Jhajjar, previously controversial for awarding grace marks, only 10 students scored above 600, with none scoring above 700 after the removal of grace marks.

Oasis Public School in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, implicated in the NEET paper leak investigation by the CBI, had only 22 students scoring above 600 marks. The investigation revealed broken paper seals and question papers distributed to candidates a day before the exam in exchange for significant bribes.

Supreme Court Involvement

The results of the May 5 NEET-UG exam, originally announced on June 5, have been re-released in a centre-wise format as directed by the Supreme Court. The court is reviewing multiple petitions concerning alleged irregularities in the May 5 test, which was conducted at 4,750 centres across 571 cities, including 14 international locations, for over 24 lakh candidates.

The Supreme Court mandated the results be released with candidates' identities masked to determine if candidates from the compromised centres scored higher than those from other centres.

The court will continue hearing arguments on July 22 regarding petitions calling for the exam's cancellation, a re-test, and a court-monitored investigation into the malpractice allegations in this prestigious exam.