Exam Fairness Includes Mental Calm: Delhi High Court Allows JEE Aspirant To Reappear As Biometric Glitch Disrupted Exam

The Delhi High Court has recently permitted a JEE 2026 aspirant to reappear in the Main Session-I examination who faced repeated biometric authentication failures, observing that the prejudice suffered cannot be dismissed as insignificant.Justice Jasmeet Singh held that the legitimate fear of being declared ineligible, disqualified, or removed from the examination hall cannot be regarded as trivial or hypothetical and would have further disrupted the candidate's concentration and rhythm, especially in a time-bound examination where each minute is of significance.“The fairness of an examination process lies not only in affording physical access to the examination system, but also in ensuring that candidates are not subjected to avoidable procedural uncertainties that undermine their mental equilibrium,” the Court said. The judge granted relief to one Shlok Bhardwaj who was unable to complete Aadhaar biometric verification before commencement of the examination despite reporting to the centre on time. Owing to the failed verification process, her Aadhaar remained blocked for a considerable period, leading to severe anxiety during the exam. According to the candidate, although biometric verification was eventually completed midway through the examination, the prolonged uncertainty and apprehension of disqualification disrupted her concentration. It was also claimed that several other candidates seated in the same examination room faced similar issues .During the hearing, the National Testing Agency (NTA) relied on the findings of its Grievance Redressal Committee, which concluded that there was no repeated disturbance during the examination and that the candidate had uninterrupted access to the examination system, noting that she had visited 68 questions and attempted 28. It held that biometric verification was conducted as per Standard Operating Procedures and found no procedural irregularity. Allowing the plea, Justice Singh said that taking of an examination is not scientific formula, a candidate has to be comfortable both in mind and the available environment to perform at his or her best and that such examinations test not merely knowledge, but also the candidate's ability to apply that knowledge under conditions of intense time pressure and mental focus.“A candidate is required to maintain concentration over the entire duration of the examination, and this necessarily presupposes a calm mental state and a stable, non-disruptive examination environment. Any deviation from these conditions, particularly those involving technical issues, such as lack of, biometric verification, which can lead to disqualification, has the potential to materially impair a candidate's performance,” the judge said. The Court added that the lack of verification would inevitably and adversely affect the psyche of any reasonable candidate, and the resulting anxiety and loss of composure would directly impact decision-making, speed, and accuracy while answering questions. “The mere fact that the petitioner continued to attempt questions thereafter cannot, by itself, lead to the conclusion that no prejudice was caused. Performance under stress cannot be equated with performance under normal and fair examination conditions,” the Court said. It also said that the observations made by the Grievance Redressal Committee were based on scientific and technical points, which was not the correct way to assess the difficulties faced by the candidates during the examination.“For the time being, without prejudice, the petitioner shall be permitted to participate in the examination to be held tomorrow and the result will be subject to the further order as maybe passed in the present writ petition,” the Court said while clarifying that the order was being passed in the peculiar facts of the case and shall not be treated as a precedent. Title: SHLOK BHARDWAJ v. UNION OF INDIA & ANRCitation: 2026 LiveLaw (Del) 159Click here to read order

Exam Fairness Includes Mental Calm: Delhi High Court Allows JEE Aspirant To Reappear As Biometric Glitch Disrupted Exam

Nupur Thapliyal

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