1. Parties Involved:
- Petitioner: Talluri Srikar (Minor) through his father Talluri Srikrishna.
- Respondents: The Director, National Testing Agency, and others.
2. Case Background:
- The petitioner suffers from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating of the palms) and was not allowed to carry a handkerchief during the NEET (UG)-2024 examination.
- He argued that this restriction affected his ability to complete the exam effectively.
- He sought re-examination, citing that 1563 other candidates were allowed a re-exam due to different issues during the same NEET exam.
3. High Court’s Decision:
- The High Court of Telangana rejected the petition, ruling that the petitioner had been given the full time to complete the exam and that the denial of a handkerchief did not materially affect his performance.
4. Supreme Court’s Ruling:
- The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision, stating that the petitioner’s case was not comparable to the candidates who lost examination time.
- The Court noted that while the petitioner was denied permission to carry a handkerchief, the impact was minimal since answers were recorded on an OMR sheet, and the petitioner could have wiped his hands on his clothes.
- The Court emphasized that courts should avoid delaying the finalization of public exam results due to individual grievances.
Ratio Decidendi:
The Court emphasized that an individual's minor inconvenience during a public examination does not justify a re-examination. The petitioner’s inability to carry a handkerchief inside the examination hall did not result in a material disadvantage that warranted a fresh exam, especially since he had the full allotted time to complete the exam. Additionally, the Court stressed that granting re-examinations for individual grievances could disrupt public interest and delay the publication of exam results.
Acts and Sections Discussed:
The judgment did not explicitly reference any specific statutory provisions but dealt primarily with principles related to public examinations, individual rights versus public interest, and the courts' role in maintaining balance between the two.
Tags:
NEET-UG 2024, Supreme Court, Public Examinations, Hyperhidrosis, Special Leave Petition, Re-examination, Public Interest.
