‘I attempted 165 questions, not 41’: Haveri NEET aspirant alleges OMR discrepancy

HAVERI: A NEET aspirant from Haveri, Bindushree Jagdish Pawar, has alleged serious discrepancies in the OMR sheet released by the authorities, claiming it does not match the answers she actually marked in the examination.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Pawar claimed that she attempted 165 of the 180 questions, but the published OMR shows only 41 attempts, resulting in a score of -11 instead of the 668 marks she believes she earned based on the final answer key.

Appealing to the government to provide her original OMR sheet for verification, the aspirant said, “On July 16, they published what they claim is my original OMR sheet, showing that I attempted only 41 questions. In reality, I attempted 165 out of 180 questions, which earns me 668 marks according to the final answer key. Instead, they have shown that I attempted just 41 questions and declared a score of -11. There are clearly many loopholes and discrepancies in this OMR sheet. My only request to the government is to give me my original OMR sheet.”

#WATCH | Haveri, Karnataka: A NEET aspirant, Bindushree Jagdish Pawar, says, “On July 16, they published what they claim is my original OMR sheet, showing that I attempted only 41 questions. In reality, I attempted 165 out of 180 questions, which earns me 668 marks according to… pic.twitter.com/TrfEC13SR3

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2026

Recently, the National Testing Agency (NTA) dismissed claims circulating on social media alleging discrepancies in the OMR answer sheets of certain candidates who appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 examination, asserting that the results declared are accurate and that the images being shared are digitally manipulated.

In a statement, the NTA said it had taken note of images of OMR answer sheets being circulated online as the “correct” records of certain candidates to support claims that their declared results were incorrect.

“It has come to the notice of the National Testing Agency that images of OMR answer sheets, said to be the ‘correct’ record of certain candidates who appeared in NEET (UG) 2026, are being circulated on social media in support of claims that the results declared against those candidates are wrong,” the statement said.

The agency said it had verified the records in all such cases and found that, without exception, the results were consistent with the original records maintained by the NTA.

According to the statement, the genuine OMR answer sheet of every candidate bears the correct roll number, test booklet number, answer sheet barcode and serial number, test booklet code, and the candidate’s handwritten details, along with the signatures and thumb impression of the candidate and two invigilators.

The NTA warned that the creation, submission or circulation of fabricated or forged OMR answer sheets constitutes a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and may also attract penal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. (ANI)