High Court comes to the aid of NEET aspirant

Coming to the rescue of a medical aspirant, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitted her to take NEET. The father of the candidate moved the court seeking relief after a wrong photograph was printed on her exam admit card. Following the court's direction, the candidate took the test on Sunday.

The court was hearing the petition filed on Saturday by S. Vengatesan of Madurai, the father of medical aspirant V. Shanmugapriya. The candidate secured 92.80% in SSLC and 91.54% in the Higher Secondary Examination. The father sought a direction to the National Testing Agency to permit his daughter to take NEET. The candidate downloaded the admit card from the official website. It was said that a wrong photograph and signature was printed on the admit card. All other particulars of the candidate, however, were correct. A male candidate’s photograph and signature was printed on the admit card. Though the candidate tried contacting the National Testing Agency seeking clarification, she received no response.

In a special sitting held late Saturday evening, Justice R. Suresh Kumar took note of the fact that all the particulars of the candidate were correct, except for the photograph and the signature.

Prima facie it was the candidate's admit card. However, strangely the photograph and the signature is that of a male candidate. The admit card belongs to a female candidate. There could be no chance of affixing the photograph and the signature of a male candidate. This kind of mistake could not have emanated from the candidate and therefore, this might have occurred only at the NTA end.

The reason for such a mistake cannot be unearthed at this moment. If no chance is given to the petitioner's daughter to write NEET 2021 examination, certainly, it will cause havoc to the life and career of the candidate who is a bright student. All her ambitions would get shattered if immediate indulgence is not shown by this court, the judge said.

The court directed the authorities at the examination centre at Solamalai College of Engineering in Madurai to permit the candidate to take the exam without expressing reservation or objecting to the wrong photograph and signature on the admit card.

The court said that it was open to the NTA to file any objection or counter to the main petition and posted the case for hearing on September 27.