Lok Sabha Question No. 1325 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Irregularities in UG-NEET 2025
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1325 ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025

## Irregularities in UG-NEET 2025

## †1325. Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware regarding tampering of OMR sheets and other irregularities in the recently held NEET 2025 examination, leading to scoring abnormally low marks;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to conduct an independent/impartial inquiry into the entire matter, including forensic examination of the original OMR sheets of students and constitute a Special Committee/Grievance Redressal Committee to register such complaints and ensure the redressal;
- (d)  if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e)  whether the Government considers that such incidents seriously impact the transparency/fairness/credibility of a national exam like NEET and affect the mental health and future of lakhs of students?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (e): The National Testing Agency (NTA) has been conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance  Test  (UG)  on  behalf  of  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  for  admission  to undergraduate  medical  education  in  all  medical  institutions  since  2019.  The  NEET  (UG)  2025 Examination was conducted by NTA for more than 22 lakh candidates at 5468 different centres located in 552 Cities throughout the country and 14 Cities outside India on 4th May 2025.

NTA has informed that a mechanism is in place to detect and prevent any alteration in OMR sheets and scorecards. The OMR sheets used in NEET (UG) 2025 incorporated multiple inbuilt security features that make any form of tampering easily identifiable. The introduction of inbuilt QR codes for authentication of scorecards ensure credibility and safeguard the interest of candidates.

Further, in order to promote transparency and as part of the standard Answer Key Challenge process, the scanned images of the OMR answer sheets of all appeared candidates w.r.t. the NEET(UG) 2025 Examination, were made available on the official website of NTA, allowing candidates to view and verify their recorded responses. The Provisional Answer Keys were published alongside, giving candidates an opportunity to review them and submit challenges, if they believed any answer was incorrect. This Answer Key Challenge Window was kept open from 3rd June 2025 to 5th June 2025. The challenges thus received were settled by subject experts and the final answer key was arrived at. The result prepared on the basis of the aforementioned final answer key has been successfully declared on 14th June, 2025. There is no irregularity w.r.t. the NEET(UG) 2025 Examination. A High Powered Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman, I.S.R.O. and Chairman, B.O.G. IIT Kanpur, is already constituted to oversee the implementation of reforms

in the conduct of national-level examinations by the NTA.

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