JEE Mains Discrepancy Probe: Delhi HC Allows Candidate to Register for JEE Advanced
According to the petitioner, he appeared for Session 2 of the JEE Main 2025 held in April. Upon submission of the answer sheet on April 4, 2025, a pop-up message allegedly confirmed that 46 questions had been attempted and 29 were unattempted. However, the answer key later released by the NTA recorded only 29 attempts out of the 46 that the petitioner claimed to have answered;
The Delhi High Court, on Thursday, allowed the candidate to register for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced exam of 2025. The court allowed the prayer while hearing a writ petition filed by a candidate who sought a probe into alleged discrepancies in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025.
The bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan listed the matter for July 25, 2025 for further consideration.
During the hearing, Standing Counsel Sanjay Khanna for the National Testing Agency (NTA) apprised the court of the automated nature of the JEE Main examination process. Standing Counsel Khanna explained that the entire examination system functioned without human intervention and that candidates' answers were recorded as audit logs. These logs not only stored the submitted answers but also tracked cursor movements during each question attempt.
When the court inquired about the production of audit logs, Standing Counsel Khanna referred to a prior case where a candidate challenged the agency's transparency and was penalized with costs. Standing Counsel Khanna maintained that the burden lay on the petitioner to demonstrate inconsistencies in the automated system.
The petitioner further argued that the NTA provided no mechanism to challenge the answer sheet, and that the discrepancy adversely impacted his eligibility for JEE Advanced. Since the last date for JEE Advanced registration was May 2, 2025, the petitioner contended that he would suffer grave prejudice if the issue remained unresolved.
Taking note of the urgency, the court directed that the petitioner be provisionally registered for JEE Advanced, pending the final outcome of the writ petition. The court also impleaded the JEE Advanced authorities as a necessary party and issued notice accordingly. Sanjay Khanna, standing counsel for the NTA, and Advocate Arjun Mitra, representing respondent no. 3 (JEE Advanced), accepted the notices.
For Petitioner: Advocate Nihal Singh Shekhawat
For JEE Advanced: Advocate Arjun Mitra
For NTA: Standing Counsel Sanjay Khanna
Case Title: Ghanshyam Singh Shekhawat v National Testing Agency