The Delhi High Court has called on the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide their position regarding a complaint lodged by a 19-year-old NEET examinee who has requested grace marks due to being provided a torn OMR sheet during her examination. Justice C Hari Shankar has issued a notice to both the NTA and the Central Government concerning the plea and has ordered that the candidate’s original OMR sheet be preserved.
The incident in question occurred during the NEET UG -2024 exam on May 5, when the petitioner discovered that her exam materials, including the first page of the physics question paper and her OMR sheet, were torn. According to the court’s directive dated May 20, the preservation of these materials is crucial for the case, which is set to be reviewed on July 8, 2024.
The petitioner, represented by advocate Tanvi Dubey, argued that she was at a significant disadvantage due to the delay in receiving replacement exam materials, which took about 30 minutes, while she was only allotted an additional 10 minutes to complete her exam. Despite being provided with a new question paper and OMR sheet, she claimed that the disruption prevented her from answering all the questions with the required focus and concentration.
The plea highlights the undue stress and unfair conditions the candidate faced, asserting that her ability to compete on an equal footing was compromised. As a result, the petitioner has urged the court to issue a writ directing the NTA to award her grace marks to account for the incident.
