The court emphasized the necessity of concrete evidence to substantiate claims of manipulation in examination records and upheld the integrity of the examination authority.

ORAL JUDGMENT

Date : 23-12-2025 Heard learned Advocate for the respective parties.

2. The petitioner is a candidate eligible for appearing in the medical entrance exam, having obtained the provisional admit card appeared in NEET (UG) 2025 under the category of OBC–NCL (Central List). On being dissatisfied and aggrieved with the action of the respondent authorities, the petitioner has invoked the jurisdiction of this Court seeking a direction upon them to ensure her admission in the MBBS course on the basis of the first score card, wherein she obtained total marks of 624 out of 720 and got NEET All India Rank 315.

3. It is the case of the petitioner that after having obtained the due provisional admit card, she appeared in NEET (UG) 2025 held on 04.05.2025. Undergoing the examination successfully through OMR answer sheet bearing No. 115332710, the petitioner downloaded the score card from the official website and secured 624 marks out of 720 having allotted All India Rank 315 and 19 under the category OBC- NCL (Central List). In pursuance of the notification and the counselling held through online on 07.08.2025, the petitioner submitted her six choices of colleges commensurate with her score and marks. The choices were locked immediately after the counselling was duly completed. The petitioner came to know that she had been allotted an open-seat quota in AIIMS Jodhpur, which was beyond her choices given during counselling. She immediately raised an objection through email stating that she has been allotted a college beyond her choices even after securing All India Rank 315 and despite belonging to the OBC category. While the petitioner was awaiting response to her email, she again got a surprise on receiving a changed score card wherein she has been allotted only 152 marks out of 720 with All India Rank 1049614. The petitioner immediately rushed to the concerned authority but, to her utter dismay and surprise, she was supplied with an OMR sheet which showed different from the earlier OMR sheet in comparison to the earlier one.

4. Being aggrieved with the action of the respondent authorities, the petitioner has approached this Court.

5. Mr. Waliur Rahman, learned Advocate for the petitioner, submitted that the OMR sheet and the score card were obtained by the petitioner through official website of the NTA, based upon which she was allowed to appear and participate in the counselling and accordingly furnished her choices. Surprisingly, not only the petitioner has been allotted a seat beyond her choices filled during counselling, but once the authority received her objection, a second subsequent score card and OMR sheet were delivered to her awarding only 152 marks out of 720 with All India Rank 1049614 declaring her not eligible. Once it is accepted, for the time being, that the first score card and OMR were manipulated, then how it could have been recognized by the official website of the NTA and a college allotted after due counselling. Hence, it is the contention of the learned Advocate for the petitioner as to whether it is not possible that manipulation in the website is resultant on the part of the authority to deny her rightful claim in order to extend some undue benefit to others.

6. Referring to Annexures- P/4 and P/5 to the writ petition, learned Advocate for the petitioner submitted that from the score card and the choices filled up by the petitioner during counselling, there is not an iota of suspicion that any manipulation has been made at the level of the petitioner, who was a bona fide student for NEET (UG) 2025. If any mistake has occurred on the part of the concerned authority, the student ought not to suffer, and hence an allotment of a college of her choice commensurate with the marks she obtained and her All India Rank, as furnished at the initial stage, should be made.

7. A counter affidavit has been filed on behalf of respondents no. 3 and 4, duly sworn by the Director, National Testing Agency, New Delhi.

8. Ms