MP High Court halts NEET-UG result declaration over power outage complaint

Citing a student's complaint that a power outage disrupted her performance in the NEET-UG exam, the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered an interim stay on the declaration of the results.

The undergraduate medical entrance test was conducted on May 4, the same day several areas of Indore experienced electricity disruptions due to adverse weather conditions.

The student's plea requested an opportunity to retake the exam, citing the lack of a conducive testing environment.

Granting temporary relief, Justice Subodh Abhyankar acknowledged the candidate's claim and noted that the concerned authorities had failed to ensure proper conditions during the exam.

"It is directed that till the next date of the hearing, the result of NEET-UG shall not be declared by the respondents," he said.

The court’s order has implications for nearly 21 lakh students who appeared for the exam across the country. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on June 30.

Notices have been issued to the National Testing Agency, the union government, and the Madhya Pradesh West Zone Electricity Distribution Company.

The court has asked them to respond within four weeks.

It also noted that, despite earlier directions, none of the respondents appeared before the court on May 15.

The petitioner’s advocate, Mridul Bhatnagar, said, “Many centers set up for NEET-UG in Indore did not have generators or other alternative arrangements for electricity, even though the weather department had already issued a warning of thunderstorms in the city on May 4.”

He added that power supply remained disrupted for one to two hours at several centers during the three-hour exam, adversely affecting candidates' performance.