# Delhi HC rejects plea to scrap NTA over exam irregularities

2026-08-21T06:52:54+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 5 independent outlets

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea seeking the scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and a probe into alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG re-examination, ruling that the petition improperly combined individual grievances with public interest reliefs. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the mixed prayers could not be heard in their current form. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and NTA, denied any malpractice in the re-examination. The petitioners, represented by advocate Abhisht Hela, withdrew the matter and will file separate proceedings: one for individual grievances and another as a public interest litigation seeking institutional reforms. Meanwhile, student groups including the SFI in Himachal Pradesh and Disha Students' Organisation in Hyderabad protested against the NTA, demanding its abolition over repeated exam failures, including errors in UGC-NET question papers. The Supreme Court separately directed the Centre to file an affidavit within three weeks on implementing the Radhakrishnan committee's recommendations for exam reforms, and also heard a PIL on CBSE's new On-Screen Marking system, with the Centre seeking time to respond.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The coverage of this story splits along institutional versus activist lines. The Tribune and Siasat report student protests with direct demands to abolish the NTA, quoting leaders who blame the government for outsourcing and privatisation. The New Indian Express editorialises for reform, citing the Supreme Court's call for continuity but framing the protests as inadequate. The Economic Times and Times Now focus on the Delhi High Court's procedural dismissal and the Solicitor General's denial of malpractice, presenting the government's position without scrutiny. The measured read: the court rejected the petition on form, not merit, the substance of exam irregularities remains unresolved, pending the government's affidavit and separate litigation. The key date is the three-week deadline for the Centre's response to the Supreme Court on implementing the Radhakrishnan committee's recommendations.

## Coverage

Coverage: 5 sources, 3 government-critical, 2 neutral
- tribuneindia.com (government critical) <https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/sfi-protests-at-hpu-demands-nta-abolition-over-ugc-net-exam-errors/>
  Leads with SFI protest, quotes criticism of NTA and central government for exam failures
- siasat.com (government critical) <https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-protest-at-dharna-chowk-against-ugc-net-re-exam-3528066/>
  Highlights student protest, criticises BJP government and NTA for paper leaks
- health.economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/education/delhi-hc-refuses-plea-seeking-scrapping-of-nta-probe-into-alleged-neet-ug-re-exam-irregularities/133373285>
  Straight news report on court proceedings, includes government's denial of malpractice
- newindianexpress.com (government critical) <https://www.newindianexpress.com/editorial/2026/Aug/20/heed-supreme-courts-call-for-continuity-in-nta-reforms>
  Editorial advocating reforms, criticises government response as inadequate
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/education/sc-seeks-centres-response-on-cbse-osm-evaluation-1-68-lakh-students-had-answer-sheets-re-evaluated-article-155931485>
  Reports court hearing on CBSE OSM system, presents both sides without slant

This story was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 5 sources. Last updated 2026-08-21T08:21:10+00:00.

Tags: Delhi High Court, National Testing Agency, NEET-UG, Supreme Court of India, UGC NET
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How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/