National News

High Court Dismisses NEET Candidate Ayushi Patel’s “Torn OMR Sheet” Plea Over Forged Documents; Priyanka Gandhi Promoted False Claims

June 19, 2024
The Commune

The Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by NEET aspirant Ayushi Patel on Tuesday after finding inconsistencies in her claims about a damaged OMR answer sheet.

Patel had alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) failed to declare her result due to a torn OMR sheet. She also claimed to have scored 715 based on the answer key, but received a result with a different application number showing only 335 marks. These allegations were made in a video that went viral amid widespread accusations of “irregularities” in the 2024 NEET-UG exam.

She claimed that the National Testing Agency (NTA), notified her via email that her OMR sheet had sustained damage and that her result couldn’t be processed due to the discovery of a torn and damaged OMR sheet. Patel alleged that the tearing of her OMR sheet seemed intentional. Nonetheless, she emphasized that despite the damage, her submitted answers were visible on the sheet, amounting to a total score of 715 out of 720 marks when compared with the official answer key.

In her petition, Patel requested a manual evaluation of her OMR sheet, an investigation into the NTA, and a suspension of the ongoing admission counseling process.

However, the NTA busted her lies in an X post and clarified that no torn OMR answer sheet was dispatched through an official NTA ID. The integrity of the OMR answer sheet remains intact, and the scores have been accurately recorded according to official documentation, the testing agency noted.

The NTA presented the original OMR sheet in court, which showed no damage. The court, labeling the case as involving “forged documents,” dismissed the petition and stated that the NTA could take legal action against Patel.

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

The NTA confirmed their intention to pursue legal action. Patel’s lawyer then requested to withdraw the petition, which the court accepted.

Previously, the NTA had refuted Patel’s claims, asserting that her actual score was lower than she claimed and that her OMR sheet was intact.

Ayushi Patel’s viral video was shared by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who supported her claims of discrepancies in her exam results. Gandhi had urged the government to address alleged paper leaks and irregularities.

Sharing the video of Ayushi Patel, Priyanka Gandhi had said “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.”

Following the High Court’s dismissal of Patel’s petition, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala criticized Priyanka Gandhi for “peddling fakery” and “amplifying lies,” demanding that she apologize and face consequences for her actions.

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