NEET-UG Row: Allahabad HC Rejects Candidate’s Claims of ‘Torn OMR Sheet’

The Allahabad High Court has rejected a petition filed by Ayushi Patel, an aspirant of NEET, due to inconsistencies found in her allegations concerning a damaged OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) answer sheet.

Patel claimed that her result was not declared by the National Testing Agency (NTA) because of a torn OMR sheet. She asserted that based on the answer key, she should have scored 715 marks, but the result she received under a different application number showed only 335 marks.

These claims were made in a video posted on social media, which quickly gained popularity amid a heated controversy over “irregularities” in the 2024 NEET-UG examination.

Ayushi Patel, in her plea requested a manual assessment of her OMR sheet, an investigation into the NTA, and a suspension of the current admission counseling.

Court Directive and NTA’s Response

However, following a court directive, the NTA provided the original OMR sheet, which indicated no damage. Terming it a matter of “forged documents,” the court dismissed the petition and stated that the NTA is entitled to pursue legal action.

“The petitioner has submitted forged documents, and in such a situation this court cannot prevent NTA from pursuing legal action against the student,” the court stated.

The NTA confirmed its intention to pursue legal recourse against Patel, a move endorsed by her advocate who requested withdrawal of the petition, a request the court granted.

Previously, the NTA had rebutted Patel’s assertions, affirming that her actual score was lower than claimed and that the OMR sheet remained intact.

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