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India Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
NEET UG 2025 re-test plea reaches Supreme Court amid blackout controversy
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear pleas demanding a re-exam for NEET UG 2025 students who faced power cuts at centres in Indore and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on exam day -- May case reached the apex court after the Madhya Pradesh High Court recently dismissed petitions for a re-test, stating that such disruptions did not warrant a re-exam for over 22 lakh students are not giving up. They argue that the blackout severely impacted their ability to attempt the paper fairly, and they want another chance. The Supreme Court, on July 17, issued a notice to the NTA and is expected to hear the matter next WHAT HAPPENED ON MAY 4 NEET UG 2025 was held across India on May 4. In several exam centres in Indore and Ujjain, candidates claimed a power outage plunged exam halls into darkness for long said invigilators handed out candles or turned on emergency lights -- but only towards the end of the exam. Some students claimed they couldn't even read their OMR sheets or questions in over 27,000 students appeared across those centres, only a small number -- around 70 -- filed legal petitions. But their accounts painted a picture of poor infrastructure and a compromised testing RELIEF, THEN REJECTIONThe Madhya Pradesh High Court initially seemed to side with the students. On June 23, Justice Subodh Abhyankar directed the NTA to hold a re-test for all affected candidates who had submitted pleas before June the hearing, he even dimmed the courtroom lights to simulate the exam conditions students faced -- drawing national attention to the the NTA soon challenged the order. A division bench of the same High Court heard the appeal. On July 2, it put an interim stay on the re-test. And on July 14, it quashed the original order Vivek Rusia and Binod Kumar Dwivedi observed that just 70 petitions from over 27,000 students wasn't sufficient reason to overturn a national exam THE SUPREME COURT MATTERS NOWStudents have now taken the matter to the Supreme Court. Their lawyers argue that the Right to Equality under Article 14 of the Constitution was violated. They claim the exam was not conducted under 'uniform conditions,' and the affected students must be given a fair July 17, the SC agreed to examine the matter and sent a notice to the NTA, seeking its response. A date for the final hearing is expected next HAPPENS TO COUNSELLING?advertisementThe NEET UG 2025 counselling process -- already delayed due to various petitions -- remains in limbo. The Supreme Court's decision may impact timelines further, depending on whether it calls for a re-test or lets the current results NTA maintains that the overall integrity of the exam was not compromised. But if the apex court rules in favour of a re-exam, it could set a new precedent for how infrastructure failures during national exams are handled.- Ends
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC bench allows NTA appeal, sets aside order for NEET UG '25 re-test
Indore: The Indore division bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday allowed the appeal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and set aside the writ court order that directed a re-test of NEET UG 2025 for students who faced power cuts during the exams on May 4, 2025. The court allowed writ petitions filed by the NTA against the June 23 order that directed the agency to conduct the retest of students approaching the court before June 3, with grievances that power cuts adversely affected their ability and concentration during the tests on May 4. The bench, comprising Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi, while clubbing a bunch of appeals from the NTA and the students, said in the order, "..we do not find that it is a fit case for a re-test of NEET (UG) 2025. Hence, all the Writ Appeals filed by the NTA stand allowed. The impugned order passed by the Writ Court dated June 23, 2025, is hereby set aside, and all the writ petitions are dismissed." Referring to a statistical analysis of the performance of students prepared by an expert committee and submitted by the NTA, the court observed that it is clear from the aforesaid that the result and performance of the writ petitioners were not seriously affected due to bad weather and power outage for some time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium 3 & 4 BHK ( 1079 - 1829 ) from ₹72.03 Lacs* at Jessore Road Srijan Realty Learn More Undo To avoid such a situation in the future, the court also directed the NTA and local administration of each district to ensure that all the measures, especially the continuity of power supply by way of regular supply or by way of an alternate mode of supply, proper sitting arrangement, and availability of air and cooling, are in place. It is the responsibility of the local administration to prepare the list of centres that can be used for these types of important examinations by any of the agencies, it said. The court observed that it is correct that students prepared a whole year before appearing in this examination, which is a turning point in their career. "They must have taken coaching from higher and expensive coaching centres along with their regular studies of Higher Secondary School Examinations. Therefore, if they faced this type of situation, they and their family members may feel in their entire life that because of this incident, they could not reach a place they dreamed of in life," it observed. "It is also a fact to accept that more than 22 lakh students appeared for limited seats of 1 lakh, therefore, the percentage of selection is very low. These students feel that they could not perform well because of the power outage in their examination centres, but the other 21 lakh students who appeared in good condition remained unsuccessful," the court said. "There is no guarantee that even if the re-test is done in all conducive circumstances or atmosphere, they will secure higher marks than this examination," the court observed. It is correct that for every child, this exam is very important for his future career, but it is also important to note that out of 27,264 candidates, only 70 candidates filed writ petitions complaining about disruption due to power outage, which is a very insignificant figure, the court observed. Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the learned Single Judge's direction for a re-test was impractical as the NEET (UG) exam is conducted in a single shift with one question paper to preserve comparability and fairness. He contested that the direction to conduct a re-test would significantly delay the commencement of this academic session.
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
HC sets aside order for NEET UG 2025 retest due to power cuts
Indore: The Indore division bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday set aside the writ court order that directed a re-test for students facing power cuts during NEET UG 2025. The court allowed writ appeals filed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) against the June 23 order that directed the agency to conduct the retest of students approaching the court before May 3, with grievances that power cuts adversely affected their ability and concentration during the tests on May 4. The bench, comprising Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi, while clubbing a bunch of appeals from the NTA and the students, said in the order, "...we do not find that it is a fit case for a re-test of NEET (UG) 2025. Hence, all the Writ Appeals filed by the National Testing Agency stand allowed. The impugned order passed by the Writ Court dated June 23, 2025, is hereby set aside, and all the writ petitions are dismissed. " Referring to a statistical analysis of the performance of students prepared by an expert committee and submitted by the NTA, the court observed that it is clear from the aforesaid that the result and performance of the writ petitioners were not seriously affected due to bad weather and power outage for some time. In order to avoid such a situation in the future, the court also directed the NTA and local administration of each district to ensure that all the measures, especially the continuity of power supply by way of regular supply or by way of an alternate mode of supply, proper sitting arrangement, availability of air and cooling, etc. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo , are in place. It is the responsibility of the local administration to prepare the list of centres that can be used for these types of important examinations by any of the agencies, it said. The court observed that it is correct that students prepared a whole year before appearing in this examination, which is a turning point in their career. "They must have taken coaching from higher and expensive coaching centres along with their regular studies of Higher Secondary School Examinations. Therefore, if they faced this type of situation, they and their family members may feel in their entire life that because of this incident, they could not reach a place they dreamed of in life," it observed. "It is also a fact to accept that more than 22 lakh students appeared for limited seats of 1 lakh; therefore, the percentage of selection is very low. These students who feel that they could not perform well because of a power outage in their examination centres, but the other 21 lakh students who appeared in good condition remained unsuccessful," the court said. "There is no guarantee that even if the re-test is done in all conducive circumstances or atmosphere, they will secure higher marks than this examination," the court observed. It is correct that for every child, this exam is very important for their future career, but it is also important to note that out of 27,264 candidates, only 70 candidates filed writ petitions complaining about disruption due to power outage, which is a very insignificant figure, the court observed. Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the learned Single Judge's direction for a re-test was impractical as the NEET (UG) exam is conducted in a single shift with one question paper to preserve comparability and fairness. Any deviation from this standard by conducting a re-test for a select few would destroy the level playing field and violate the principles of equal treatment and merit-based selection, he said. He contested that the direction to conduct a re-test would significantly delay the commencement of this academic session, disrupt the ongoing counselling process, and would also affect lakhs of other candidates who are not party to the proceedings. The court observed that NTA prepares two sets of question papers. The second sets are always prepared in each and every examination in order to be used in case the first set of question papers is leaked, destroyed, lost, etc., but in one examination, both sets of question papers cannot be used. Either the entire examination will be held with one set of question papers or another set of question papers.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘We understand the students' plight, but…': MP High Court reserves verdict on NTA's appeal against NEET UG retest
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the National Testing Agency's (NTA) appeal challenging a single judge's order that directed a re-test of NEET UG 2025 for candidates who faced a power outage at examination centres in Indore and Ujjain, according to Live Law. A division bench of Justices Vivek Rusia and Binod Kumar Dwivedi heard arguments from both sides before reserving the order. The Court had earlier stayed the single-judge ruling. The bench orally acknowledged the mental stress caused to students due to the disruption, however expressed concern over the practicality of a re-exam. 'We understand the students' plight… but out of 22 lakh candidates, only a few were affected. Everyone cannot be selected. Hard luck, bad luck,' the bench remarked. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the NTA, submitted that an independent committee comprising professors from IIT-Delhi and other universities had found no significant performance difference between affected and unaffected centres. He argued that the exam could continue due to the availability of natural light and diesel generators at some centres. He opposed the re-test plea, calling it a 'second bite at the cherry,' and warned that a retest would delay the entire academic calendar. He also opposed awarding grace marks, stating there is no clear method to determine who should receive them. He cited examples of high scorers from the affected centres, including a candidate who secured AIR 2, to argue that performance was not uniformly hindered. Advocates representing the students, however, maintained that light was insufficient, candlelight had to be used, and no power backup was provided, which is unacceptable in 2025. They emphasised that even a few affected candidates have the right to relief and cited previous court rulings in support. They sought a re-exam only for the genuinely affected students, not the entire centre. The case stems from a June 30 order by Justice Subodh Abhyankar, who noted that the affected candidates were put at a disadvantage through no fault of their own, warranting judicial interference under Article 14 of the Constitution. The High Court will now decide whether exceptional circumstances merit a limited re-exam.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
M.P. High Court issues notice over minor's death linked to Jain ritual
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday (July 8, 2025) issued notices to the Union and State governments, various State authorities, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and an Indore-based couple in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl, who allegedly undertook the Jain ritual of Santhara — a vow of fasting unto death. A Division Bench comprising Justices Vivek Rusia and Binod Kumar Dwivedi issued the notices while hearing a public interest litigation filed by social worker Pranshu Jain. The petition has sought a ban on the observance of Santhara by minors and persons with mental illness. The plea contends that the practice, if permitted for minors and vulnerable individuals, may be misused by others to 'get rid' of relatives suffering from serious health conditions or psychological disorders. The petition also seeks penal action against those facilitating Santhara for minors. The court directed notices to be served on the Union Government, the Madhya Pradesh Government, the NHRC, the State Director General of Police, the Indore Divisional Commissioner, the Indore District Collector, and the City Police Commissioner. Additionally, the girl's parents — Piyush Jain and Varsha Jain — were also made respondents in the case, following a prior direction of the court last month. Their response has been sought. Advocate Shubham Sharma, appearing for the petitioner, told The Hindu that an interim ban on Santhara for minors had also been requested. 'But the High Court has issued notices to the respondents for now and will consider our request after their response,' he said. The matter is tentatively listed for further hearing on August 25. The issuance of notice is subject to the petitioner depositing the process fee, the court clarified. 'Issue notice to the respondents on payment of process fee within three working days. Notice be made returnable within four weeks,' the Bench directed. According to the petition, three-year-old Viyana Jain, who was reportedly undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, died on March 21 after taking the Santhara vow. The ritual was allegedly undertaken on the advice of a Jain monk, Rajesh Muni Maharaj, whom the parents had approached to seek blessings for their daughter. The petition was moved before the High Court on May 9, following media reports that the parents had been recognised by the Golden Book of World Records — a U.S.-based organisation — which awarded a certificate declaring the child as the 'youngest to vow the Jain ritual Santhara'.
