The Supreme Court is set to hear a crucial plea next week regarding a re-test for NEET UG 2025 candidates affected by power outages at exam centres in Indore and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
This follows the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s rejection of petitions demanding a re-exam, citing insufficient grounds.
On May 4, during the nationwide NEET UG exam, several centres in Indore and Ujjain reportedly experienced prolonged blackouts. Students claimed they were unable to read their OMR sheets or questions properly, with emergency lighting provided only towards the end of the exam. Despite over 27,000 students attending these centres, only around 70 filed legal petitions.
Initially, the Madhya Pradesh High Court showed sympathy, even simulating blackout conditions during a hearing. Justice Subodh Abhyankar directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct a re-test for affected students who had filed pleas before June 3. However, the NTA challenged the order, and a division bench later overturned it, stating that the small number of petitions did not justify disrupting results for over 22 lakh candidates.
Now, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the NTA and agreed to examine the matter, with students arguing that their Right to Equality under Article 14 was violated due to non-uniform exam conditions.
The outcome of this case could significantly impact the NEET UG 2025 counselling process, which remains stalled. If the Supreme Court rules in favour of a re-test, it may set a precedent for handling infrastructure failures during national examinations.
