What Contradictions Arise from the NTA and Administration Regarding Power Outage During NEET Exam?
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Synopsis
The NEET-UG 2024 exam faced serious allegations of power outages and irregularities. Advocate Mridul Bhatnagar represents the affected students and highlights discrepancies in the National Testing Agency's submissions. Could these issues compromise the integrity of the examination results?
Key Takeaways
- Power outages during NEET-UG exam raised serious questions.
- Discrepancies in submissions from the NTA and local administration.
- Advocate Bhatnagar represents over 100 affected students.
- Calls for a re-examination have been made, but NTA opposes them.
- CCTV footage and weather reports were submitted as evidence.
Indore, June 24 (NationPress) Following the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court reserving its judgment concerning the significant power outage during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 exam, advocate Mridul Bhatnagar highlighted various irregularities observed during the proceedings.
Bhatnagar, who represented the petitioners (students) in court, spoke to IANS on Tuesday, explaining that he aimed to present all pertinent facts, with the primary concern being the power outage. He has urged the court to issue an order for a re-examination for those students affected.
“There have been discrepancies in the submissions made by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and officials from the Indore administration. What is particularly concerning is when a senior official informed the court that the district administration had not been instructed to arrange for power backup at the examination centers,” he stated.
He noted that he submitted CCTV footage and weather reports indicating heavy rain and blackouts at multiple exam centers, which the court reviewed thoroughly during the hearing.
Bhatnagar mentioned that both parties had sufficient time to present their cases. He asserted that during the proceedings, the NTA acknowledged that power was unavailable for approximately 15–20 minutes to over an hour.
“We questioned why certain exam centers lacked power backup, especially given the known risk of outages in the city,” he remarked.
Advocate Bhatnagar also revealed that initially, 90 students filed a petition in the Indore High Court about alleged irregularities during the NEET-UG exam, with more students joining later.
“Throughout the hearing, we presented our facts, as did the NTA and the Union of India. While several irregularities were noted, such as insufficient drinking water and other issues at exam centers, our main focus was the lack of electricity,” he informed IANS.
He further claimed that the number of affected students has now surpassed 100.
The students contended that their results were adversely affected due to the conditions they faced during the exam.
The NTA, represented virtually by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and in-person by panel lawyer Rupesh Kumar and Deputy Solicitor General Ramesh Dave, insisted that backup systems were implemented at the affected examination centers.
The NTA continues to reject the call for a re-examination, asserting that it would be unjust to hold the test again for what they estimate to involve around 75–80 students.
Point of View
It is crucial to uphold the integrity of educational assessments. The discrepancies between the NTA and local administration on such a critical issue as power outages during an examination must be addressed transparently. Students' futures depend on fair conditions during these assessments.
NationPress
24/06/2025
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the main issues raised during the NEET-UG exam?
The primary issue was a significant power outage affecting numerous exam centers, which students claimed compromised their results.
How many students are reportedly affected by the power outage?
The number of affected students has exceeded 100, according to advocate Mridul Bhatnagar.
What has the NTA stated regarding the power situation?
The NTA has claimed that backup systems were in place at the affected centers, although they acknowledged electricity was unavailable for varying lengths of time.
Is there a possibility of a re-examination for affected students?
Advocate Bhatnagar has requested a re-examination, but the NTA opposes this, stating it would be unfair to conduct another test for a minority of students.
What evidence was presented in court regarding the power outage?
CCTV footage and weather reports were submitted to demonstrate the heavy rain and subsequent blackouts at exam centers.
