The petition filed by NEET aspirant Ayushi Patel was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday due to inconsistencies found in her statements regarding a damaged OMR answer sheet. Patel accused the National Testing Agency (NTA) of not releasing her result because of a torn OMR sheet.
She insisted that she scored 715 according to the answer key, but her result displayed only 335 marks under a different application number. These allegations were publicized through a video on social media, sparking controversy amidst the ongoing debate on “irregularities” in the 2024 NEET-UG exam.
In her plea, Patel requested a manual review of her OMR sheet, an investigation into the NTA, and a suspension of the current admission counseling process. However, following a court directive, the NTA presented the original OMR sheet, which displayed no signs of tampering. The court, labeling it as a case of “counterfeit documents,” rejected the plea and declared that the NTA has the right to pursue legal action.
“The petitioner has presented counterfeit documents, and under these circumstances, this court cannot prevent the NTA from taking legal measures against the student,” the court stated.
The NTA informed the court of their intention to proceed with legal action against Patel. Patel’s legal representative requested to retract the plea, a request that was granted by the court.
Previously, the NTA had denied Patel’s allegations, asserting that her actual score was lower than claimed and the OMR sheet was unaltered.
Ayushi Patel’s video, which went viral, was shared by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who backed her allegations of inconsistencies in her exam results. Gandhi also called on the government to address the issue of alleged paper leaks and irregularities by abandoning its negligent approach.
In response to the dismissal of Ayushi Patel’s petition by the High Court, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala criticized Priyanka Gandhi for spreading falsehoods and exaggerating the truth. Poonawala demanded an apology from Gandhi and requested that action be taken against her.