The Madras High Court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) not to release the results of the NEET-UG 2025 examination until further notice, following a petition by 13 students who alleged that a power outage at their exam centre in Avadi had severely affected their performance.
The interim order was issued on Friday, May 16, by Justice V Lakshminarayanan, who directed the NTA to file its response before June 2. The petitioners, who appeared for the exam at the PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya CRPF in Avadi, Chennai, said they were subjected to unfair conditions due to an hour-long power cut and heavy rains during the examination held on May 4.
According to the students, the outage occurred between 3.15 pm and 4 pm. With no power backup available at the centre, candidates were forced to write the exam without lighting or ventilation. The situation worsened when rainwater entered the exam hall, causing candidates to vacate their designated seats and relocate mid-exam.
The petitioners said that no additional time was granted to compensate for the lost time. They added that a representation to the NTA about the incident received no response, prompting them to approach the court.
The students, through their petition, sought a writ of mandamus, alleging a violation of their fundamental rights under Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution. They argued that the lack of contingency measures at the exam centre had denied them an equal and fair opportunity.
The Avadi exam centre reportedly hosted 464 candidates on the day of the exam.