The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition by three medical aspirants seeking permission to appear for NEET UG, 2024 re-test on June 23 on the ground of loss of time, holding there was no merit or substance in their petition.

The petitioners claimed they suffered because of loss of time during the exam held on May 5 for which they were neither compensated with extra time nor awarded any grace marks.

However, the high court noted that they were already allowed extra time at the examination centre as the question paper given to them initially had to be replaced.

“The report of GRC (grievance redressal committee) is very specific and there is nothing to indicate that petitioners no. 1 to 3 are entitled to appear in re-test. They cannot be permitted to raise any grievance as they were given corresponding extra time. Finding no merit or substance, the present petition stands dismissed,” a vacation bench of Justice Manoj Jain said.

The petition was filed by four National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Under Graduate) (NEET-UG) aspirants. While three of them appeared for the test in one centre, the fourth took it at another centre.

According to the plea, they were supplied a particular set of question paper and OMR sheet which was duly filled out by them. However, in the middle of the examination, the question paper and OMR sheet were taken away from them and replaced with another set.

This resulted in loss of time for which they were neither compensated by allowing extra time nor awarded any grace marks, they claimed in their plea and prayed that they be permitted to appear in the re-test to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 23.

The counsel representing the NTA told the court that the agency has already considered all such aspects with respect to the centres, including these two centres, and as per the final report given by the GRC, there was no loss of time with regard to the centre where the three petitioners had appeared.

He said the question papers distributed initially were replaced within five minutes after the examination process had got underway and all 492 candidates at the centre were duly compensated for the loss of time by giving them corresponding extra time.

The counsel claimed their grievance was misplaced and said the GRC’s report on the issue was was accepted by the apex court.

Regarding the fourth petitioner, the NTA’s counsel said the candidate has been granted grace marks, and in terms of the directions given by the Supreme Court, he has been permitted to reappear in the test to be conducted on June 23.

The high court said it was conscious of the fact that the apex court is already seized of the issue relating to the NEET examination. However, as fairly agreed by both sides, the present petition is on a different footing, it said.

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