Power outage: No need for NEET re-exam, NTA tells HC

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has informed the Madras High Court that there is no need to conduct a re-examination for NEET-2025, despite a power outage at a Chennai exam centre on May 4. The agency stated that an inquiry into the matter revealed no significant disruption occurred and that most candidates were able to answer a majority of the questions. Appearing for the NTA, Additional Solicitor General A R L Sundaresan submitted on Tuesday that the exam at the Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya CRPF Centre in Avadi was largely unaffected by the power failure. He argued that the overall conduct of the test was smooth and did not warrant a re-exam. “The students were able to complete the exam, and there is no merit in the request for a fresh test,” he stated. The issue first reached the court on May 17, when a vacation judge issued an interim order restraining the NTA from releasing NEET-2025 results based on a petition by 13 students. The students had alleged they were severely impacted by a power outage between 3 pm and 4.15 pm during the exam, following heavy rains. According to their plea, there were no backup power facilities, and the lighting was poor. They also claimed rainwater entered the exam hall, forcing them to relocate midway through the test. Their request for extra time was denied by exam officials. During Tuesday’s hearing before Justice C Kumarappan, the students’ counsel urged the court to direct the NTA to produce CCTV footage from the centre to verify if lighting conditions were indeed inadequate. The judge recorded the arguments and adjourned the case to June 6 for further orders. With 464 students affected at the Avadi centre alone, the court’s final decision could set a precedent in handling exam-day contingencies in high-stakes national-level tests.