The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dismissed a plea filed by a group of NEET-UG 2026 aspirants seeking reopening of the application portal after they allegedly became victims of fraud by a college staff member who failed to submit their examination forms.
A division bench comprising Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Ninala Jayasurya held that courts cannot relax examination timelines on humanitarian grounds once the process has advanced and the sanctity of the examination may be affected.
Background of the Case
The petition was filed by students of Oxford Junior College, Guntur, formerly known as Lakshya Junior College. According to the students, they belonged to rural and agricultural families and relied on a computer operator named Murthy, who allegedly used to assist students with applications for competitive examinations such as NEET and JEE.
The petitioners claimed they had paid the required amounts and handed over their details for submission of NEET-UG 2026 forms. However, in April 2026, several students reportedly discovered that fake hall tickets had been issued for JEE examinations, following which it came to light that applications had allegedly never been submitted.
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A criminal case was later registered at Pattabhipuram Police Station, Guntur, against the concerned staff member and the college management.
The students approached the High Court seeking a one-time special window to submit their NEET applications or permission to apply through an alternate mechanism.
Counsel appearing for the students argued that the petitioners were innocent candidates who should not suffer for the alleged misconduct of a third person. It was submitted that the students came from rural backgrounds and were unaware of the technical process involved in online applications.
The petitioners also contended that permitting them to apply at this stage would not prejudice other candidates and would only allow deserving students an opportunity to appear in the examination.
The National Testing Agency opposed the plea and informed the court that the NEET-UG 2026 application process had remained open from February 8 to March 11, 2026, including an extension period. Detailed instructions had been issued through the information bulletin and official portal.
The agency argued that candidates were required to ensure proper submission of forms and confirmation pages. It further pointed out that admit cards had already been issued and examination material, including question papers and attendance sheets, had been dispatched to centres across India and abroad.
The respondents told the bench that reopening the process at such a late stage could disrupt the conduct of an examination involving more than 22 lakh candidates across thousands of centres.
The bench noted that it was undisputed that the petitioners’ applications had not been submitted within the prescribed period. The court observed that the public notice and information bulletin clearly required strict compliance with instructions and timelines.
“The timelines stipulated in advertisement/public notice/information bulletin must be strictly adhered to,” the bench observed while referring to earlier judicial precedents.
The judges further remarked that even though hardship may be caused to students, courts cannot interfere merely on humanitarian grounds if such interference affects the sanctity of the examination process.
Dismissing the writ petition, the High Court held that no ground for judicial interference had been made out under Article 226 of the Constitution. The court concluded that granting relief at this stage could adversely impact the integrity of the nationwide examination process.
The petition was accordingly dismissed without costs.
Case Details:
Case Title: Mahesh Gaddam and Others v. Union of India and Others
Case Number: W.P. No. 10859 of 2026
Judges: Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Ninala Jayasurya
Decision Date: April 29, 2026
