NEET-UG 2025 retest ordered in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh High Court mandates re-exam for 75 candidates due to power cuts, sparking discussions on exam fairness and NTA's responsibilities

Indore: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct a re-examination for 75 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) candidates who were affected by power outages during the test on May 4. The court cited Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, ensuring equality and justice, as the basis for its decision, stating the students were placed at a disadvantage through no fault of their own.

The order, delivered by Justice Subodh Abhyankar of the Indore bench on June 23, will benefit candidates who took the exam at centres in Indore and Ujjain. The court observed that the power failure created an unequal playing field, as some students at the same centres had access to sufficient natural light while others did not.

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The court has mandated the NTA to hold the retest as soon as possible and to consider only the new scores for the petitioners’ ranking.

The candidates had petitioned the court arguing that their performance was negatively impacted by the power cuts which occurred amidst bad weather.

Representing the NTA, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta countered that alternative power arrangements, including candles, emergency lights, and inverters, were available at the exam centres. He also presented a committee report stating that power was restored promptly after the outage was reported.

The court specified that “those persons who have filed the petition after the declaration of provisional answer key i.e., June 3, 2025, shall not be entitled to get any benefit of this order.” The decision was reserved last month after hearing arguments from all parties involved.