The Delhi High Court has refused to grant relief to an 18-year-old student who was denied entry into the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for arriving six minutes late at the examination centre. Stressing the importance of “purity and discipline” in examinations, the Court underscored the need to strictly adhere to prescribed timelines.
The student had approached the Court claiming that she had reached the exam centre at approximately 8:36 AM on May 13—six minutes after the reporting deadline—but was not allowed to enter. Her plea challenged the decision of a single-judge bench that had earlier declined to intervene in the matter.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Rajnish Kumar Gupta heard the appeal and dismissed it, stating that the instructions regarding reporting time were clearly mentioned in both the information bulletin and the admit card issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA). These instructions required candidates to report to the exam centre by 7:00 AM, and explicitly stated that the gates would close around 8:30 AM.
The Court observed that allowing exceptions in a national-level examination of such magnitude could lead to disorder and undermine the examination process. “CUET is a significant entrance exam, and reaching the exam hall on time, being seated punctually, and entering before gate closure are all part of the exam discipline and ethos, which must be upheld,” the bench noted in its order dated May 31.
Dismissing the appeal, the Court stated, “One may argue that it was merely a matter of six minutes, but the officials cannot be faulted for strictly enforcing the gate closure rule.”
Highlighting the scale of the examination, the Court added, “CUET-UG is an exam attempted by over 13.54 lakh students across the country. If exceptions are made and discipline is not maintained, it would jeopardize timely conduct of the exam, declaration of results, and admissions to colleges and universities. The broader impact would be significant. In such cases, judicial intervention should be minimal.”
