CAT 2024 Answer Key Controversy: Delhi HC to Hear Plea on VARC Section Error Today

Delhi High Court | Image Credits: PTI

The Delhi High Court will hear a plea on Friday, January 3,concerning alleged errors in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 answer key. The petition, filed by CAT candidate Aditya Kumar Mallick, challenges the results announced by IIM Calcutta, the organising institute for CAT 2024. Mallick alleges inaccuracies in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section, particularly in a Slot 2 question.

Aditya Kumar Mallick’s petition highlights concerns over the accuracy and transparency of the CAT 2024 answer key. According to him, a question in the VARC section received 272 objections from candidates after the provisional key was released. Despite detailed feedback from aspirants and MBA educators, IIM Calcutta decided that no changes were required and finalised the key without making any changes.

The controversy intensified when IIM Calcutta announced the CAT 2024 results on December 19, 2024, earlier than the advertised second-week-of-January timeline. Mallick claims this premature declaration raises doubts about whether sufficient time was allocated to thoroughly review objections raised by candidates.

The matter was first heard on December 24, 2024, by a bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav. The court directed the Union Ministry of Education and IIM Calcutta to file their responses, with the next hearing scheduled for January 3, 2025.

The CAT 2024 exam was conducted on November 24, 2024, and the provisional answer key was released on December 3, allowing candidates to submit objections until December 5 at 11:55 PM. IIM Calcutta, despite receiving over 400 objections across all sections, including 272 specific to a VARC question from Slot 2, stated in its final notification that no changes were required. Subsequently, the results were announced on December 19, weeks ahead of the expected timeline in the second week of January 2025.