Delhi High Court requests a response from the NTA regarding a plea about a torn NEET OMR sheet

The Delhi High Court has asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to respond to a petition filed by a 19-year-old NEET candidate requesting grace marks after receiving a damaged Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet. Justice C Hari Shankar issued a notice to the NTA and the central government regarding the candidate's petition and ordered the preservation of her original OMR sheet. OMR sheets are pre-printed security documents used in exams that contain candidates' personal details, such as name and date of birth. 

The court scheduled the matter for disposal on July 8, 2024, and instructed the respondents to preserve the petitioner's original OMR sheet. The petitioner, represented by advocate Tanvi Dubey, reported that during the NEET UG 2024 exam on May 5, she discovered that the seal cover, the first page of the physics question paper, and the OMR sheet were torn vertically. After a delay of approximately 30 minutes, she received a new question paper and OMR sheet but was given only 10 extra minutes to finish her exam.

Petitioner's Request for Grace Marks

The petition claims that the candidate suffered due to the NTA's actions, as she was not provided with a new OMR sheet immediately and had to wait around 30 minutes before receiving one, along with a new question paper. This delay allegedly affected her ability to complete the new question paper with proper focus and concentration, as she had already attempted 60 questions on the old one.

The petition asserts that the candidate was unfairly disadvantaged compared to other examinees due to the torn OMR sheet incident. It argues that she was not given the same opportunity to complete the exam as others. The petitioner seeks a court order directing the NTA to grant her grace marks due to the circumstances she faced during the examination.