New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is looking into over 400 candidates from 23 examination centres who wrote the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Mains this year for possible malpractice, ThePrint has learnt.
For the first time this year, the JEE Mains was conducted in four phases, allowing four chances for a student to clear it. According to sources, the NTA had found some candidates whose percentile increased from 50 to 90 per cent in one phase and put them under the scanner.
Taking a cue from this, candidates who scored low marks in the first three phases are also under watch to check whether they score higher in the latest exam, held from 26 August to 2 September, and if they used unfair means for it.
“We have our eyes on some candidates whose percentile showed a sudden jump from 50 percentile in one phase to over 90 percentile in the other. Those who scored less in all three phases have also been under scanner,” a source in the agency told ThePrint.
The source also noted that the agency is not conducting a criminal probe. “Our investigation, however, is not a criminal investigation. If the candidates are found to be indulging in malpractice, action will be taken against them as per NTA’s rules for JEE Mains.”
Another source said the candidates under scanner were first identified as those who asked for a last-minute change in examination centre. Based on this information, the agency narrowed down the names to those students who had received low percentiles in other phases but then witnessed a sudden increase in marks.
Vineet Joshi, director-general of the NTA, also confirmed the parallel investigation by the agency to ThePrint.
The investigation by the NTA, which is an autonomous agency under the Ministry of Education, is running parallel to the probe initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged manipulation of the fourth phase of the exam.
Also read: This is how JEE Mains was ‘manipulated’: ‘Solvers’ hacked into computers to write papers
Action against those found indulging in unfair means
While NTA sources refused to share details of the candidates or the exam centres identified, they noted that if students are found indulging in malpractice, action will be taken in accordance with the agency rules.
Among other things, the NTA identifies ‘unfair means’ as “using someone to write examination (impersonation) or preparing material for copying” and being in possession of prohibited articles like stationery items and communication devices among others.
The rules also state that if a candidate is found indulging in malpractice, the candidate will be booked under an ‘Unfair Means (UFM) case’ and will “be debarred for 3 years in future and shall also be liable for criminal action and/or any other action as deemed fit”.
It adds that the result of the candidate who indulges in malpractice will be cancelled and will not be declared.
The result of those candidates who appear from a centre other than the one allotted to them or allow another candidate or person to write the exam on their behalf will be cancelled as well, according to the testing agency.
The sudden increase in percentile for some candidates has also been discussed by students on social media.
Several users have shared screenshots, which contain names and application numbers of candidates who witnessed a percentile increase from 50 per cent to over 90 per cent within two exams.
Have been able to trace these many suspicious students. Reply below if you know someone else too.#scaminjee2021 #JEEMainScam @DG_NTA @EduMinOfIndia @dpradhanbjp pic.twitter.com/tvpzY7ecf0
— Shashank Mahawar (@shashmahawar) September 7, 2021
#JEEMains cheating happened in jee mains 2021 all attempts . These students must be blacklisted and fair result should be given . pic.twitter.com/2ocqFZWUrp
— Kunal (@Kunalbhardwaj79) September 6, 2021
ThePrint could not independently verify the authenticity of these screenshots.
Also read: Jaipur Police arrests 8 including a candidate for cheating in NEET exam
JEE Mains results
Meanwhile, there is no official word from either the NTA or Ministry of Education on whether these two investigations will affect the results of the fourth phase.
The results of the latest exam were expected Monday but they were announced early Wednesday.
Officials in the ministry, however, insisted that the delay was because staff had fallen ill.
A senior ministry official told ThePrint that the scam investigation had not affected the announcement of the results.
The delay in JEE Mains results has also delayed the registration of JEE Advanced, which was supposed to begin Monday.
There is no clarity from IIT Kharagpur, which is the organising institute for JEE Advanced this year, on the registration schedule. The official website for the exam states that students should “keep visiting the website for information”.
The top 2.5 lakh students who qualify JEE Mains are eligible to sit for the JEE Advanced for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
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