Court Won't Order Re-Exam For 'Trivial' Issues Like Brief Power Outage, Defers to NTA's Factual & Scientific Analysis Barring Mala Fides: Madras High Court - 2025-06-06

Madras High Court Rejects Plea for NEET Re-Exam Over Power Outage, Cites NTA's 'Scientific Analysis'

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has dismissed a batch of writ petitions seeking a re-examination for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2025, ruling that a brief power outage at certain test centers does not warrant such a drastic measure. Justice C. Kumarappan held that the court would not interfere with the National Testing Agency's (NTA) conclusion, which was based on a factual and scientific analysis, especially in the absence of any allegations of mala fides .

The court emphasized the need to avoid disrupting the "level playing field" for over two million candidates nationwide over what it considered "trivial grounds."

Background of the Case

A group of student-petitioners, including S. Sai Priya and others, approached the High Court after experiencing power outages during the NEET (UG) 2025 exam. The outages, which occurred due to a sudden storm, affected four centers in and around Chennai: * PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya CRPF, Avadi (approx. 75 minutes) * Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Kundrathur (approx. 30 minutes) * Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, K.K. Nagar (approx. 20 minutes) * PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, Minambakkam (approx. 45 minutes)

The petitioners argued that the poor lighting and distracting environment severely hampered their ability to concentrate and perform optimally. They contended that no compensatory time was provided and that the NTA's subsequent report denying any impact was "self-serving," particularly as CCTV footage was not produced.

Arguments from Both Sides

Petitioners' Arguments: * Led by counsel Mr. T. Saikrishnan , Mr. V. Baskaran, and Mr. V. Ramana Reddy, the petitioners submitted that the power failure created adverse exam conditions. * They argued that the absence of power backups and compensatory time violated their right to a fair examination. * The credibility of the NTA's internal inquiry was questioned in the absence of objective evidence like CCTV footage.

Respondents' Arguments: * Mr. AR.L. Sundaresan, the Additional Solicitor General appearing for the NTA, countered that the power outages were brief and had no material impact on student performance. * He argued that the exam was conducted during daytime (2:00 PM to 5:00 PM), ensuring sufficient natural ambient light. * He stressed that ordering a re-examination would severely disrupt the time-bound, nationwide admission process for over 22 lakh students.

NTA's Factual and Statistical Analysis

Following a court undertaking, the NTA conducted a comprehensive inquiry. The court's judgment heavily relied on the findings of this report, which included:

Field Verification: Reports from the Centre Superintendent, City Coordinator, Observers, and Invigilators confirmed the brief outage but stated that rooms remained sufficiently illuminated by natural daylight and that power backups were utilized. Crucially, they reported no disruption and no contemporaneous complaints from any candidate, including the petitioners.

Independent Statistical Analysis: An expert committee of statisticians was formed to analyze anonymized data. The committee found: > "The average number of questions attempted by candidates at the said centre... was statistically consistent with other centres in district. There was no abnormal variation or decline... that would suggest disruption or disadvantage."

Court's Reasoning and Final Decision

Justice Kumarappan found no reason to doubt the NTA's comprehensive report, noting the absence of any malice pleaded against the agency. The court accepted the dual verification process—factual reports from on-ground staff and objective statistical analysis—as a reasonable basis for the NTA's conclusion.

In its pivotal observation, the court stated:

"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."

The court concluded that allowing a re-exam on such grounds would negatively impact the entire admission cycle for lakhs of students across India. Consequently, all writ petitions were dismissed.