New Delhi | July 25, 2025
The Supreme Court has dismissed petitions filed by a group of NEET UG 2025 aspirants who sought a re-examination, citing power outages at certain examination centres in Madhya Pradesh. The bench, comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar, found no compelling ground to order a re-test, thereby endorsing the earlier decision of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had rejected similar demands after examining the facts and impact.
The verdict comes as a significant setback for candidates who claimed they were unable to attempt the paper fairly due to electricity disruptions at centres in Indore and Ujjain.
What Was The Issue?
During the NEET UG exam conducted on May 5, 2025, several centres in Madhya Pradesh reportedly faced a 30-45 minute power outage during the test. Petitioners claimed that this hampered their ability to read questions and mark answers properly, demanding either a fresh exam or special consideration in counselling.
However, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and local authorities submitted that proper backup arrangements were made and the overall environment remained under control.
What The Supreme Court Said
The top court, while acknowledging the concerns of the affected candidates, stated that a re-test cannot be ordered for isolated incidents unless there is clear evidence of widespread impact or procedural failure.
“We must strike a balance between fairness to individuals and the integrity of a national examination process. There is no material to suggest that the process was vitiated across the board,” the bench observed.
The court also made it clear that students who didn’t qualify under the merit list cannot be permitted to participate in counselling through judicial orders.
Context Matters
• Over 22 lakh candidates appeared for NEET UG 2025 nationwide.
• Only a small fraction (less than 100) reported issues related to power outages.
• The Madhya Pradesh High Court, after calling for a factual report, had already ruled against the demand for re-test on July 10, 2025, citing no measurable disadvantage in performance.
Case Title: XYZ v. National Testing Agency & Ors.
