Madras High Court Dismisses Petition Seeking NEET(UG) 2025 Re-examination On Ground Of Power Outage
While observing that permitting re-examination on trivial grounds would seriously affect the level playing field of more than two million candidates, the Madras High Court has dismissed a petition seeking NEET (UG) 2025 re-examination on the ground of power outage.
The High Court was considering 5 writ petitions where a direction was sought to the respondent- National Testing Agency to consider the representation of the petitioners and to conduct reexamination for the petitioners as well as to the similarly affected persons. The common grounds urged in all the petitions were that there was a power outage during NEET (UG) 2025 examination in the following centres, viz., PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya CRPF, Avadi; Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Ponniamman Koil Street, Kundrathur; Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, K.K.Nagar and PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, Minambakk.
The Single Bench of Justice C. Kumarappan said, “Furthermore, all over India, there were about 22 lakhs students have participated in the NEET (UG) 2025 examination. In such view of the matter, if any re-examination is permitted on trivial grounds, the same would seriously affect the level playing field of more than two million candidates.”
Advocate T. Saikrishnan represented the Petitioners, while CGSC M. Sathyan represented the Respondents.
Arguments
The main ground urged by the petitioners was that, on account of a power outage, there was poor light in the Centres, which caused a distracting environment, and hampered the candidates’ ability to concentrate and to perform at their best.
Reasoning
The Bench took note of a Report of a field verification wherein it was mentioned that though there was a brief power outage, the same had not affected the performance of candidates, as the examination halls were reported to be sufficiently illuminated with natural daylight. The report further said that the School Authorities had also arranged for a power backup facility.
As per the Bench, the Additional Solicitor General had rightly contended that the examination was conducted during day daytime between 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM, where there was a natural ambient light.
“Therefore, when the Authority themself, after field verification and with the scientific method, had arrived at a reasonable conclusion that there are no grounds for re-examination, the same needs to be accepted, unless the said report is tainted with mala fides. In the instant cases, I do not find any mala fides on the part of the respondents.”, it noted.
Thus, finding no merit in the writ petitions, the Bench dismissed the same.
Cause Title: S.Sai Priya & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors. (Neutral Citation: WP.No.18359 of 2025)
Appearance
Petitioners: Advocates T. Saikrishnan. V.Baskaran, V.Ramana Reddy
Respondents: CGSC M.Sathyan, Additional Solicitor General AR.L.Sundaresan. Advocate Sunithakumari
