The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the government’s decision to cancel the UGC-NET examination due to an alleged question paper leak. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra observed that the dismissal of the PIL did not address the merits of the case, as it was filed by a lawyer instead of the affected students.
The Chief Justice remarked, “Why are you (lawyer) coming? Let the students come here themselves,” emphasizing that the court preferred to hear directly from those impacted by the cancellation. “While declining the above PIL, we express nothing on merits,” the bench added.
Advocate Ujjawal Gaur, who filed the PIL, was advised by the bench to focus on other legal matters and leave such issues to those directly affected. The plea challenged the Union education ministry’s and the National Testing Agency’s decision to cancel the UGC-NET exam due to concerns regarding its integrity. On June 19, the ministry ordered the exam’s cancellation and referred the matter to the CBI for investigation.
Gaur’s petition also sought an immediate stay on the proposed re-examination of the UGC-NET until the CBI concluded its inquiry into the paper leak allegations. The plea, filed through advocate Rohit Pandey, stated that the “unwarranted” cancellation of the exam has caused significant distress, anxiety, and unnecessary expenditure of resources for the aspirants who have prepared rigorously for this crucial examination.
The petitioner argued that the CBI’s investigation revealed that the evidence suggesting the paper leak was doctored, rendering the grounds for cancellation invalid. The petitioner emphasized that the decision to cancel the exam was not only arbitrary but also unjust, given the recent findings of the CBI. The Supreme Court’s decision to reject the PIL underscores the court’s preference for direct involvement of those affected by such decisions, indicating that the case may be reconsidered if students file a petition themselves.
