Yesterday, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the Madras High Court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide CCTV footage from four National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Undergraduates (NEET-UG) examination centres affected by power outages caused by a sudden storm, heavy rains, and gusty winds on May 4, 2025, during the exam, reported The New Indian Express.
The order was issued by a division bench of Justices J Nisha Banu and M Jothiraman while hearing an appeal from 13 affected students.
Discrepancy in judgment
The appeal was filed by 13 students challenging a single judge’s dismissal of their petitions, which sought a re-examination due to disruptions at the centres.
The bench, however, declined to issue an interim stay on the single judge’s order, allowing the result process to continue pending further review.
The petitioners argued that the single judge overlooked significant disruptions caused by the power outage, relying only on the NTA’s internal reports without verifying objective evidence like CCTV footage or candidate affidavits.
They contended that even minor disparities in exam conditions for a competitive exam like NEET-UG undermine equal opportunity, severely impacting fairness.
Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, representing the NTA, informed the court that 22 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG exam, with 470 at the affected centres. He noted that only 12 students from these centres have approached the court, and granting a stay would unfairly impact other candidates who reported no issues.
The disruptions occurred at four centres at PM SHRI KV Schools in Avadi and Meenambakkam, Govt Higher Secondary School in Kundrathur, and Padma Seshadri School in KK Nagar. Initially, 16 candidates from these centres had filed writ petitions requesting a re-examination to address the disruptions.
