NEET counselling: Paperwork tires aspirants, thrills shops

NEET counselling: Paperwork tires aspirants, thrills shops

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 16.09.2024

Bengaluru : On any NEET counselling day at the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) headquarters on 18th Main Road, Malleswaram, you’ll find crowds thronging photocopying shops in the neighbourhood. As KEA mandates that candidates should submit notarised bonds in the format provided on stamp papers of Rs 20 and Rs 100 for MBBS admissions, shops in the area make a killing, charging Rs 400. Parents and students complain that shops fleece them as they struggle to ensure they have all papers done right. 

“There is no clarity on whether the annexure can be produced on e-stamp paper. The choice 2 candidates were first asked to deposit only the fees and suddenly on Friday (Sept 6), the first 60K rank holders were asked to verify their documents in person on Monday (Sept 9, which came after two closed holidays). So there was no other way for the students but to be at the mercy of notaries and shops operating in tandem. The two affidavits were supposed to be on stamp papers priced Rs 20 and Rs 100, respectively, but the shops charged Rs 400 for stamp papers for each annexure,” said a student’s parent. 

Lanes next to the KEA office are dotted with shops that know the exercise well. There are stamp papers ready to be typed with the details you seek and notaries at hand to sign and affix their seals to the documents. There are annexures 1 (general affidavit) and annexure 9 (rural service bond), St John’s Medical College undertaking and antiragging affidavits — all at their fingertips. Many parents have demanded that the process of attestation be removed. “It is unnecessary... I made a notarised officer sign more than 30 sheets of paper. We were not sure which documents had to be attested, so we got all attested. Isn’t self-attestation enough? Why are we continuing with these bureaucratic processes?” said another student’s parent.

In annexure 1, students testify they have not taken seats through any other exams, have not surrendered seats before or will not submit fake documents. Annexure 9 is about willingness to  take up rural service after graduating. KEA maintained only Rs 20 and Rs 100 bond papers are being asked for.