Delhi HC Quashes Grace Marks for NEET Candidates, Cites Risks

• HC overturns grace‑marks order for biometric delays, deeming it unfeasible.
• Directs NTA to strengthen biometric checks and issue clear grievance channels.
• Sets precedent emphasizing fairness and procedural integrity in exam adjudication.

The Delhi High Court quashed a single-judge's judgement which mandated the National Testing Agency (NTA) to give grace marks to candidates of NEET UG who faced delays due to issues of biometric verification.

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Sachin Datta, concluded that the earlier decision could not be practically implemented and that grace marks would lead to all NEET candidates making unwarranted claims. Instead, the court directed the NTA to simplify the biometric process for future examinations.

Before this award, the single-judge bench allowed some grace marks following a normalization formula and even awarded supernumerary ranks, so that test-timonologues would not adversely affect merit lists.

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At the same time, the division court doubted the justification for awarding marks based on reliance on CCTV footage that could lead to a finding of minor delays, according to the division court, because potentially all subjective assessments might violate regulations and protocols established for exams like the JEE or NEET, which could lead to misuse and appear subjective.

The Delhi HC reaffirmed that a transparent grievance redressal mechanism is more productive than dealing with complaints through individual legal cases. The judgment promotes the notion of fairness, procedural consistency and the quasi-administrative powers to be exercised during high-stakes assessments, and it provides some precedent for institutions to manage questions about irregularities in exams moving forward.