Judgment

Bharucha, J.-The order under challenge was passed by a Division Bench of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on 23rd September, 1996. The High Court dismissed the writ petition filed by the appellant finding “no merit in the petition”.

2. The appellant appeared for the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) held on 22nd May, 1996, for admissions, inter alia, to medical colleges in the State of Andhra Pradesh for the academic year 1996-1997. The examination commenced at 2.00 p.m. and terminated at 5.00 p.m. It is the appellant’s case that she entered the examination hall at about 1.45 p.m. She was given an objective type answer paper at about 1.55 p.m. At about 2.20 p.m. an invigilator came to her to obtain her signature, presumably in token of having received the answer paper. The invigilator then discovered that the appellant had been given a ‘D’ type answer paper whereas she ought to have been given a ‘C’ type answer paper. The invigilator took the ‘D’ type answer paper away, discussed what had happened with fellow invig­ilators and, after 10 minutes or so, gave the appellant a ‘C’ type answer paper to mark. The appellant had, thus, two and a half