This year, on May 5, over 24 lakh students appeared for NEET exam at 4,750 centres across 571 cities, including 14 international locations.

The result was declared on June 4, which immediately caused a hue and cry with aspirants raising multiple issues, such as the awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 students, an unusually high number of students achieving perfect scores of 720 out of 720 and the allegations of a leaked question paper. Around 70-80 marks were arbitrarily awarded as grace marks to at least 1,500 students.

The results showed that 67 students achieved a total score of 720 which is rare and has never happened so far. Six of these toppers had appeared for the exam at the same centre in Haryana.

Now students and parents have filed applications in the supreme court seeking the cancellation of the NEET and are asking for a retest due to alleged anomalies in the grant of grace marks.

Petitioners argue that the NTA's decision to award grace marks was arbitrary noting that marks as high as 718 and 719 out of 720 achieved by several students were statistically impossible as there is +4 marks for every correct and -1 marks for every wrong answer.

The Centre has told Supreme Court that it will conduct retest for 1,563 students, who were given grace marks in the NEET-UG 2024. The re-exam is to be held on June 23.

If any of the 1,563 candidates opt out of the retest, their previous marks without the grace marks will be used for the results.