NEET UG 2025 | Madras High Court Dismisses Plea For Re-Examination, Says It Would Affect Level Playing Field Of More Than 2 Million Students

Justice C Kumarappan dismissed the petition after taking note of the report filed by the National Testing Agency. The court added that unless malafide was shown in NTA's report, allowing a plea for re-examination would affect the level playing field of around 2 million students who wrote the exam all over India.

“In the instant cases, I do not find any mala fides on the part of the respondents. 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. Hence, this Court does not find any merit in these writ petitions,” the court said.

On May 16^th, Justice V Lakshminarayan had stayed the declaration of results after noting that the students be given an opportunity to present their case.

The plea was filed by a group of students who had appeared for the examination in May 2025 at the PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya CRPF, Avadi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The grievance of the students was that their examination was disrupted due to the heavy rainfall and poor management by the center and that a re-examination be conducted for them.

The students submitted that they had approached the examination centre by 11 am as per instructions and the exam commenced on 2:00pm. However, due to the severe storm that occured around 2:45 pm, there was a power outage in the centre with no backup facilities such as generators or inverters. The students submitted that they were forced to write the exam in poor lighting conditions. It was also submitted that when rainwater started entering the examination hall, the students were asked to move to a different room in the middle of the examination.

The students submitted that the uncomfortable and distracting environment affected the student's ability to concentrate on the exam, hampering their ability to perform. It was also submitted that even after such an incident, the students were not given any extra time and they were not able to complete the exam. The students thus submitted that their legitimate expectation of being provided with adequate facilities was hindered. Thus, it was contended that the students who appeared for the exam at this centre were at a disadvantage compared to other students who wrote the exam at different centre.

The students also informed the court that though an email representation was sent to the National Testing Agency requesting them to re conduct the exam for the affected students, no reply had been received till date. Thus, the students had approached the court seeking direction to the authorities to consider their represent and conduct re-examination for the affected students.

The Additional Solicitor General, appearing for the NTA informed the court that though there was a brief power outrage, it would not impact the performance of the candidates as the exam was conducted during day time when there was ample daylight. He also informed the court that the situation was analysed scientifically and it was found that re-examination was not necessary.

The court considered the report filed by NTA after a field verification conducted by the Centre Superintendent, City Coordinator, NTA-appointed Observers and Invigilators on duty in the examination halls.

Finding no malafide in the report, the court rejected the plea for re-examination and dismissed the petition.

Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. T. Saikrishnan, Mr. V. Baskaran, Mr. V. Ramana Reddy

Counsel for Respondents: Mr. M. Sathyan CGSC, Mr. AR. L. Sundaresan Additional Solicitor General for Ms. Sunithakumari

Case Title: S. Sai Priya and others v. Union of India

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 191

Case No: WP 18359 of 2025