New Delhi: The NEET UG 2025 exam has once again become controversial. On Thursday, the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the National Testing Agency (NTA) to halt the result declaration for NEET UG 2025 until further notice. This decision could impact over 21 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam on May 4.
What Led to the Court’s Decision?
During the NEET UG exam on May 4, several examination centres in Indore experienced power outages. As a result, many candidates had to write their exam in poor lighting conditions. Several students filed petitions claiming they couldn’t properly read the questions due to the darkness. They demanded either a re-examination or a fair evaluation method to address the issue.
The court has now asked the NTA to respond to these concerns. Until then, it has put a stay on the declaration of results.
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Petitioners Demand Re-Exam
Advocate Mridul Bhatnagar, representing around 17 petitioners, explained that rain and heavy clouds made the exam halls dark. Then, a power cut lasting 1 to 1.5 hours worsened the situation, and there was no backup electricity. This added pressure on the students and affected their performance.
Court May Consider Two Options:
- Re-examination:
- The court may allow affected candidates the option to retake the exam.
- Students who feel their performance suffered due to the blackout can choose to appear again.
- Others who are satisfied with their original performance may proceed with their existing scores.
- Normalization:
- If re-examination isn’t possible, the court could direct NTA to award grace marks.
- For example, students at centres with a 15-minute blackout may receive fewer grace marks than those who faced a 1-hour outage.
NEET UG Re-Exams Over the Years
| Date | Reason for Re-Exam | Action Taken |
|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2024 | Candidates lost exam time due to disruptions during the test day. | Supreme Court ordered re-exam for 1,563 candidates. Grace marks were awarded, which led to controversy. |
| 14 October 2020 | COVID-19 prevented several candidates from attending the original exam in September. | Supreme Court ordered re-exam. Results for original and re-exam were declared together on 16 October. |
| 20 May 2019 | Cyclone Fani disrupted exams in Odisha, Siliguri (WB), and Bengaluru (Karnataka). | Re-exam held on 20 May. Combined results were released on 5 June. |
| Year 2014 | Widespread irregularities reported in NEET. | Supreme Court cancelled NEET and directed CBSE to conduct AIPMT instead. |
Read Also: NEET UG 2025 MBBS Stipend: NMC Releases Latest Salary Details and Updated Rules
Join NEET News 2025 NTA Might Ask for Proof
Petitioners allege that the NTA is not treating the issue seriously. Advocate Bhatnagar added that the NTA may ask students to prove that the power outage occurred. If exam centres do not cooperate, students might have to request data from the electricity department through RTI (Right to Information), which could take 1 to 1.5 months.
Re-Exam Seen as the Best Solution
Harpreet Singh, NEET expert and Unacademy Director, believes a re-exam is the most logical solution if the claims are found valid. He explained that NTA can verify the situation by checking:
- Power outage data from the electricity department
- CCTV footage from exam centres
- Statements from staff present during the exam
If the investigation confirms that the blackout significantly impacted students, conducting a re-exam would ensure fairness.
Why a Re-Exam is Feasible for NTA:
- NTA already has 4–5 backup question paper sets ready.
- OMR-based evaluation can be completed within 24 hours.
- Since the issue occurred in one city, collecting and evaluating answer sheets would not take much time.
NTA previously conducted a re-exam in Odisha during Cyclone Fani in 2019. Students there took the test separately, and results were released the very next day.
Normalisation Could Trigger More Issues
Harpreet Singh added that normalisation could lead to complications. In the past, the NTA has faced criticism and legal challenges over this process. The Supreme Court also questioned NTA’s normalisation methods. To avoid further controversies, experts suggest NTA should avoid normalisation and focus on conducting a re-exam.
What Happens Next?
The High Court has paused the NEET UG 2025 results until the NTA provides its explanation. The decision to either conduct a re-exam or follow an alternative method will depend on NTA’s response and the court’s final verdict.
For now, over 21 lakh students must wait for clarity. The focus remains on ensuring fairness and transparency in the evaluation process.
Read Also: NEET UG 2025 Results on Hold: Madhya Pradesh HC Indore Bench ordered a temporary halt
