Delhi High Court · 2025

W.P.(C) 6501/2025 Page 1 of 4 $~38 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 6501/2025, CM APPL. 29634/2025 & CM APPL. 29635/2025 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND .....Petitioner Through: Mr. S.K. Rungta, Sr. Advocate with Mr. Prashant Singh, Mr. Shivankar Shukla and Ms. Deepti Gupta, Advocates versus NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY AND ANR .....Respondents Through: Mr. Sanjay Khanna, Standing Counsel with Ms. Pragya Bhushan, Mr. Tarandeep Singh and Ms. Vilakshana Dayma, Advocates for R-1/NTA. Mr. Nishant Gautam, CGSC with Mr. Vardhman Kaushik, Mr. Mayank Sharma, Mr. Vipul Verma and Mr. Prithviraj Dey, Advocates for R-2/UOI. CORAM: HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE TUSHAR RAO GEDELA O R D E R % 15.05.2025 1. The present Public Interest Litigation has been filed, inter alia, praying as under: “a) Allow this petition b) Issue a writ of certiorari or any other writ order or direction thereby calling for records relating to the modalities for uploading the details o scribe by visually impaired and other students with disabilities in CUET (UG) Examination, examine the same and quash it to the extent of closing the portal for uploading the details of the scribe much before the date of examination and that too without any prior notice; This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 01/07/2025 at 19:56:15 W.P.(C) 6501/2025 Page 2 of 4 c) issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ order or direction thereby directing the respondents no.1 to permit the uploading of details of the scribe by opening the portal for the said purpose upto 1 day prior to the date of examination to ensure that no visual impaired or other student with disability is deprived of his / her right to appeal in ensuingCUET (UG) examination with the help of his/her own scribe. d) Grant any other or further relief which Your Lordship deem fit and proper in the circumstances of the case. 2. Mr. S. K. Rungta, learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioner in this public interest litigation states that scores of candidates belonging to the PwBD/PwD category who wanted to opt for their own scribe were deprived of such availability inasmuch as the portal of respondent no.1/NTA was opened on 10.05.2025 and closed abruptly on 12.05.2025. He states that the sudden opening of the portal for such purpose and abrupt closure, keeping in view the fact that 10.05.2025, 11.05.2025 being Saturday and Sunday and 12.05.2025 being declared as a public holiday on account of Buddha Purnima, the candidates who are visually impaired and other similarly situated candidate belonging to the PwBD/PwD category were unable to respond in time leading to their deprivation of scribe in the impending CUET (UG) 2025 examination. He urges that this Court may keeping in view the benevolent, beneficial and welfare provision in the Right of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, may in the interest of such vulnerable persons across country, many coming from remote and rural areas, direct the respondent no.1/NTA to provide a reasonable opportunity to submit the form for the purposes for registering the scribe on their behalf. 3. Mr. Sanjay Khanna, learned counsel for the respondent no.1/NTA on This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 01/07/2025 at 19:56:15 W.P.(C) 6501/2025 Page 3 of 4 instructions submits that the competent authority in the respondent no.1/NTA has addressed the concern and accordingly, furnished instructions in that regard to him. He states that such instructions have been received by him vide email dated 15.05.2025 as at 02:56 pm. The same has been handed over the Bench. On instructions, he further states that these instructions may be incorporated in the present order. 4. We have heard Mr. S. K. Rungta, learned senior counsel for the petitioner as also Mr. Khanna, learned counsel for the respondent no.1/NTA who has furnished the written instructions of the competent authority of the respondent no.1/NTA. We consider that those instructions need to be extracted hereunder for clarity and preciseness. The same reads as under:- “a) The Portal may be reopened for 72 hrs from 16.05.2025 (from 12:00 p.m.) to 19.05.2025 (upto 12:00 p.m.) for the PwBD/PWD candidates (opting their own scribe) for filling the details of Scribe; b) Accordingly, a Public Notice can be issued on the Official Portal of CUET (UG) 2025 : https://cuet.nta.nic.in/, and c) The PWD / PWBD candidates (Opting their own scribe) will be informed individually through their respective/registered email ids. d) As on date, NTA has the following Helpline Numbers: 011-69227700 and 011-40759000, which are active 24*7 during the Examination. For facilitating the candidates, NTA has a dedicated Call Centre with 02 Supervisors, 55 Tele Callers (available across 05 shifts from 06:00 a.m.) and 5 members for addressing the emails, during the examinations. Further, there are dedicated email accounts for all Examinations conducted by NTA, which are detailed at https://www.nta.ac.in/ContactUs. e) For CUET (UG) 2025, the email address: [email protected] has been provided for addressing the concerns of all candidates. f) Commencement of a dedicated email account only for PwD/PWBD candidates appearing in examinations conducted by This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 01/07/2025 at 19:56:15 W.P.(C) 6501/2025 Page 4 of 4 NTA which shall be made operational from and on 17.05.2025 from 12:00 pm by the NTA.” 5. We appreciate the efforts made by Mr. Khanna, learned counsel appearing for the respondent no.1/NTA as also the authorities of the NTA in addressing the genuine issues of the vulnerable category of candidates who are visually impaired or those who fall in the category of PwBD/PwD. We expect that the aforesaid instructions are implemented in all earnest and keeping in view that the NTA being an examination conducting authority and also being an extension of the State, make all endeavours to assist and aid the vulnerable candidates falling within the category of PwBD/PwD including the visually impaired candidates. 6. In view of the above, the present public interest litigation is disposed of. Pending applications also stand disposed of. DEVENDRA KUMAR UPADHYAYA, CJ TUSHAR RAO GEDELA, J MAY 13, 2025/ms/rl