The NEET case now appears to be reaching a decisive stage. During the hearing, the Supreme Court made stern remarks, stating that a paper leak on social media would spread like wildfire. The court also mentioned that if there is a significant gap between the printing of the paper and the exam, the likelihood of a widespread leak is still high.

The court also made serious comments on the rank inflation, noting that the kind of inflation being seen is unusual and should be investigated. When the next hearing takes place on July 11, the following points should be presented before the court.

Important Points that must be brought in the notice of Hon'ble court-

1. Paper Leak Incident:

   - It is alleged that the exam paper was leaked from Hazaribagh on 4th May or even before.

   - The paper was sent to a solver gang via WhatsApp.

   - Printed copies of the solved paper were provided to candidates in Patna on the night of 4th May.

   - Around 30 students learned the paper overnight and wrote the exam the next day and around 100 got it on whatsapp as per media reports.

   - Candidates have confessed that the same questions appeared in the exam.

2. Evidence Recovery:

   - Burnt pieces of the paper were recovered by Patna police.

   - Upon matching, 68 questions from the burnt pieces corresponded with the leaked paper.

3. Communication Methods:

   - Communication between gang members and the solver gang was exclusively through WhatsApp.

   - This proves the liberal use of social media by the gang.

4. Unidentified Beneficiaries:

   - Many who benefitted from the paper leak have yet to be identified.

   - The kingpin, Sanjiv Mukhiya, and his close aide Rocky are still at large.

   - Without their arrest, it's unknown how many others across different states received the paper via WhatsApp and benefitted.

   - Mukhiya operates a pan-India gang with a structured organization, suggesting a wider dissemination of the paper.

5. Telegram Leak Allegations:

   - Many students allege that the paper was available on a Telegram channel on 4th May.

   - It was reportedly available on 5th May and then removed.

   - This issue should have been investigated by the cybercrime unit.

6. OMR Manipulation Attempts:

   - There was a failed attempt to manipulate OMR sheets in Godhra.

   - Given the weak system, there’s a strong possibility that other centers were compromised.

7. Latur Arrests:

   - Four people have been arrested in Latur by ATS and CBI.

   - Their modus operandi is under investigation and is suspected to involve manipulating OMR sheets at NTA HQ.

8. Third-Party Audit Findings:

   - A third-party audit proved that security measures were inadequate at most centers.

   - Papers were not stored according to SOPs.

   - The EOU report also mentioned SOP violations in paper handling.

9. Training Inadequacies:

   - Officials appointed for the exam were not adequately trained.

   - This resulted in the wrong distribution of papers at many places.

Telltale Signs of systemic failure-
01. SOP for safe storage and transport of paper were not followed.
2. Paper was transported even in unguarded  E rikshas
3. CCTV were not installed in examination rooms as per guidelines
4. Training of invigilators ,centre and city coordinators was not adequate
5. Integrity of people appointed for exam was not verified
6. Even after the news of paper leak was there on 5th May ,NTA remained in denial mode and there was no proactive measures indicating failure at administrative level.
7. Registration window reopening and not sharing data of those registered during window raises suspicion
8. Grace marks were awarded arbitrarily and secretly and rolled back after media outrage.It indicates policy paralysis within the organisation.
9. No attempt to segregate tainted from not tainted by NTA
10. No proactive measures to investigate leak on telegram and social media dissemination

All these points strongly suggest a systemic failure, a paper leak many hours before the exam, and the dissemination of the paper through social media.

 Rank Inflation Analysis

- This year’s rank inflation is an outlier and skewed.

  - There is a massive increase in the number of students in the higher score ranges (620-720 and 520-620).

  - There is no increase in the number of students in the lower score ranges (320-420).

Rebuttal on rank inflation-

**Q: Is the rank inflation explained by an increase in the number of students?**

**A:** No, because while the absolute number of students increases every year, the percentage increase has remained almost the same over the last three years.

**Q: Is rank inflation explained by a reduced syllabus, easier paper, or increased competence of students?**

**A:** No, because if these factors were responsible, the number of students in the 320-420 score range would have increased as well, which is not the case.

**Q: Has the NTA made any attempts to segregate tainted from non-tainted students?**

**A:** No serious attempts have been made by the NTA. Until recently, the NTA had not even accepted that there was a paper leak. They have only caught some students for impersonation and unfair means and have never attempted to understand the scale of the paper leak.

**Q: Is it possible to segregate tainted from non-tainted students?**

**A:** No, because the paper was disseminated through social media, making it impossible for any agency to identify all the beneficiaries. If the NTA claims to have segregated them, the DG must provide an affidavit in court ensuring no future beneficiaries will be found.