On Tuesday (18th June), the Allahabad High Court ruled that the National Testing Agency (NTA) can take legal action against a NEET candidate named Ayushi Patel who claimed in her petition that the NTA had not released her results and that her OMR answer sheet had been torn. This came after it was found that the NEET candidate submitted fake documents.
On the court’s direction, the NTA had produced Patel’s OMR sheet which was found to be intact contrary to the candidate’s claim that it was torn.
In compliance with the 12th June order, NTA Deputy Director Sandeep Sharma delivered the student’s original documents along with an affidavit. Counsel Shashank Bhasin produced the original OMR Sheet, Attendance Sheet and the Score Card of the petitioner before the court. Bhasin contended that on these documents, the application number of petitioner Ayushi Patel is 240411340741 and the petitioner herself has signed on such papers, she is, thus acknowledging her application number as 240411340741.
However, Patel’s counsel Piyush Agnihotri submitted that Patel’s NEET UG 2024 application number is 240411840741.
“Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the aforesaid application number is consistent in Annexure No.9 of the petition, which is photocopy of one e.mail relating to NTA NEET UG EXAM 2024 sent by one Sri Deshraj Singh addressed to the petitioner apprising her that NTA received damaged (torn) OMR on the same Application Form Number. Further, Annexure No.10 of the petition is a mail of the petitioner sent to NEET wherein she has indicated the same application number,” the court order reads.
Patel’s counsel submitted a photocopy of some documents/ mails being exchanged between Ayushi Patel and the National Testing Agency wherein the same application number (240411840741) has been indicated, though the original papers of the petitioner indicated the different Application Form Number as 240411340741.
Representing the NTA, Shashank Bhasin said that he was unable to understand why the petitioner is indicating another application number in her mails than the number which has been acknowledged by her on the original papers.
After reviewing the documents, a vacation bench led by Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan concluded that Ayushi Patel had submitted the plea using forged documents.
“Sri Bhasin has stated with vehemence that all the documents filed with the petition are forged and fictitious. He has shown all the original documents of the petitioner in terms of the aforesaid order, perusal thereof reveals that the statement of Sri Bhasin is correct inasmuch as the documents, so filed by the petitioner in the writ petition are forged and fictitious,” Justice Chauhan said.
Bhasin showed the NEET UG 2024 information brochure’s Chapter 13: Unfair Means Practices and Breach of Examination Rules. In its clause 14.1-(l)(q) and (r), it is stated that providing incorrect information or overwriting of Roll Number and other information as well as making false claims by manipulating or tampering the responses in the OMR sheet uploaded on official website before or after result declaration is deemed a violation of the rules.
He further informed the court that the NTA has decided to take legal action in the matter. Meanwhile, Patel’s counsel informed the court that he has nothing to say in the petitioner’s defence. The court called it a “sorry state of affairs” and stated that the NTA is allowed to pursue legal action in the case.
“Be that as it may, this is really sorry state of affairs that the petitioner filed a petition enclosing therewith the forged and fictitious documents, therefore, this Court can not restrain the competent authority / authorities to take any legal action against the petitioner strictly in accordance with law,” the court said.
“Since the learned counsel for the petitioner has requested that this petition may be dismissed being not pressed as he has nothing to say or plead in favour of the petitioner, therefore, this writ petition is dismissed being not pressed,” the court ruled.
How Congress party, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, amplified Ayushi Patel’s lies to target NTA
As the court has ruled that Ayushi Patel had submitted forged documents and allowed the NTA to take legal action against her, it is pertinent to recall how the Congress party and state social media units peddled claims of tampering with NEET candidate Ayushi Patel’s OMR sheet.
In an apparent attempt to exploit the issue of alleged irregularities in NEET UG 2024 exams to target the Central government, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi shared a video of Ayushi Patel without checking the veracity of her claims on the 10th of June.
“Lakhs of children prepare hard for exams like NEET and spend the most precious moments of their lives in this preparation. The whole family puts their faith and strength in this effort. But year after year, paper leaks and irregularities related to results have been reported in these exams. Shouldn’t the accountability of the agencies conducting the exams be fixed? Shouldn’t the government give up its careless attitude and seriously consider the exam system? We cannot see the dreams of our young friends being shattered like this. This injustice being done by the system with their hard work must stop. The government will have to take serious steps to correct these irregularities,” Gandhi posted on X.
NEET जैसी परीक्षाओं में लाखों बच्चे मेहनत से तैयारी करते हैं और अपनी जिंदगी के सबसे कीमती पल इस तैयारी में लगाते हैं। पूरा परिवार इस प्रयास में अपनी श्रद्धा और शक्ति डालता है। लेकिन साल दर साल इन परीक्षाओं में पेपर लीक, रिजल्ट से जुड़ी गड़बड़ियाँ सामने आई हैं।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 10, 2024
क्या परीक्षा कराने… pic.twitter.com/mcHwsVb4IH
The NTA, however, refuted Patel’s claims and allegations of OMR tampering and her OMR being torn. They also denied sending any torn OMR answer sheet as claimed by Ayushi Patel.
— National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) June 10, 2024
As OpIndia reported earlier, Ayushi Patel had in a video statement claimed that the National Testing Agency, the nodal agency responsible for conducting examinations in India, sent her an email informing her that her OMR sheet was damaged. According to her, the email conveyed that her result could not be generated because the NTA found her OMR sheet torn and damaged. She brazened her allegation stating that her OMR sheet appeared to be ‘deliberately torn.’ However, she stated that the answers she submitted during the examination were visible on the damaged OMR sheet and they totaled 715 out of 720 marks.
NTA had refuted the claims made by Patel, highlighting that her answer sheet was not torn. Available information revealed that Patel had received only 365 marks not 715 as claimed by her.
Back in 2020, Patel had tried to gain media headlines by claiming that she had discovered the ‘formula for Covid vaccine’ in her head.
