The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences to award one compensatory mark to a final-year MBBS student after finding that a repeated multiple-choice question in her Ophthalmology examination placed her at an unfair disadvantage. The Court held that the University's printing error could not be allowed to affect the student's academic future and ordered that she be declared successful in the subject.
Background of the Case
The petitioner, Duvvuru Nithya Reddy, a final-year MBBS student of Kurnool Medical College, approached the High Court after failing the Final MBBS Part-II Ophthalmology examination by a narrow margin.
She argued that in the Set-C question paper conducted on April 2, 2026, Question No. 5 had been repeated as Question No. 7 because of a printing error. According to the petition, the duplication effectively reduced the number of distinct multiple-choice questions from 20 to 19, depriving her of an opportunity to answer a fresh question and earn an additional mark. She sought one compensatory mark, which would enable her to pass the examination and begin her Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI).
The University opposed the plea, contending that it had invited objections to the preliminary answer key through an online notification and that the petitioner had not raised any objection during that process.
Court's Observations
Justice Kiranmayee Mandava examined the effect of the repeated question in a regular university examination and distinguished it from competitive examinations.
The Court observed,
“To ensure fairness, the candidate who has been declared unsuccessful should also be awarded one compensatory mark on account of the repeated question, if that one mark makes all the difference in passing in the examination.”
The bench noted that in a regular qualifying examination, awarding a compensatory mark would not disturb the ranking of other students. Instead, it would neutralize the disadvantage caused by the University's own procedural lapse.
The Court further found that the petitioner had effectively lost two opportunities one because she answered the original question incorrectly and another because the repeated question denied her the chance to attempt a different question.
Justice Mandava observed,
“He cannot be put to a disadvantageous position for no fault on his part.”
The Court added that after excluding the repeated question, the petitioner's score worked out to 39.39%, falling short of the qualifying 40% by only 0.61%, a marginal difference that justified a liberal approach in the peculiar facts of the case.
Court's Decision
Allowing the writ petition, the Andhra Pradesh High Court directed Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences to award one additional mark to the petitioner in the Final MBBS Part-II Ophthalmology (Set-C) examination held on April 2, 2026, and declare her passed in the subject.
The Court also directed the Principal of Kurnool Medical College to consider her case for commencement of the Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI).
The writ petition was accordingly disposed of without any order as to costs.
Case Details
Case Title: Duvvuru Nithya Reddy v. State of Andhra Pradesh & Others
Case Number: Writ Petition No. 15135 of 2026
Judge: Justice Kiranmayee Mandava
Decision Date: July 1, 2026
