Delhi HC refused to entertain petition on scrapping of National Testing Agency

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court declined to hear a petition initiated by two National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) hopefuls who sought the abolition of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and an investigation into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG re-examination. Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia ruled that the relief requested by the two applicants, Rishi Kailash and Fatima Kounser, were individual rights concerns rather than matters of public interest, thereby disqualifying the petition as a public interest litigation (PIL). The case was subsequently dismissed.

Upon reviewing the petition, the court found it to be a combination of requests, seeking relief for the petitioners as well as all candidates who participated in the re-NEET exams. The court deemed such mixed petitions inadmissible. The petition alleged several discrepancies within the NEET UG re-examination, including tampering with Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, and called for the establishment of an independent institution to administer these exams.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented both the government and the NTA, denying the claims of fraud and asserting that no tampering had occurred with the OMR sheets, as alleged. The NEET-UG examination, which took place on May 3, was canceled due to a leak and subsequently a re-examination was scheduled for June 21, leading to widespread anxiety and distress among test-takers.

The court's decision was made on the same day the government announced its confidence in the current system for conducting the NEET-UG exam, which it deemed "foolproof."