NEET-UG 2021: SC junks students' plea alleging error in Hindi translation of physics question

The court dismissed a plea by 22 NEET-UG candidates seeking recalculation of their scores due to the alleged error in a physics question in Hindi.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday was informed by the Centre that a three-member expert committee comprising professors of IIT, Delhi Technological University, and the National Physics Laboratory, which was set by National Testing Agency (NTA), concluded that there was no error in a physics question in Hindi in the NEET-UG 2021.

A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud dismissed a plea by 22 NEET-UG candidates seeking recalculation of their scores due to the alleged error in a physics question in Hindi.

The counsel representing the students contended before the bench that the court has to look at the physics textbook, which is considered the Bible for students, before disposing of their petition. The bench remark, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Vikram Nath, said the book may be the Bible for students, but the opinion given by the professors is like the opinion of Jesus Christ. "We have to go by the opinion", said the bench.

The bench noted that the panel of three independent experts opined that the answer for the physics question in Hindi and English versions was the same.

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On November 25, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to set up a committee of three experts to examine the correctness of a physics question in Hindi in the NEET-UG 2021 exam.

During the hearing, a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud remarked: "We do not want to fail in physics, as we do not know anything about the subject."

The bench said it will be better if the physics question in Hindi is examined by experts, who understand both Hindi and English. The petitioners had alleged a discrepancy in the Hindi version of the question paper, claiming that a question had a different meaning in English.

The NTA agreed before the apex court to examine the alleged error in the Hindi translation of the physics question.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the NTA, submitted the question will be evaluated again by a panel and an affidavit will be filed in the matter citing the conclusion of the panel.

The petition was filed by Wajda Tabassum and other NEET candidates challenging the "discrepancy and patent error" in question no 2 of Section A (physics).