- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 23RD DAY OF APRIL, 2026 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JAYANT BANERJI AND THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RAJESH RAI K WRIT PETITION NO.12181 OF 2026 (EDN-RES) BETWEEN: MS. C VARSHA CHOWDARY D/O C. HARI BABU, AGED ABOUT 19 YEARS, NO.214, VARSHA AND VARUN NIVASA, 3RD MAIN, RAMANJAYANAGAR, CHIKKALASANDRA, SUBRAMANYAPURA POST, BENGALURU SOUTH-560 061 …PETITIONER (BY SMT. LAKSHMI IYENGAR, SENIOR COUNSEL FOR SRI. NEELAKANTA. A. T, ADVOCATE) AND: 1. NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY, THROUGH ITS DIRECTOR GENERAL, FIRST FLOOR, NSIC-MDBP BUILDING, OKHLA INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, NEW DELHI-110 020 2. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, THROUGH ITS SECRETARY, 124-C, SHASTRI BHAWAN, NEW DELHI-110 001 …RESPONDENTS (BY SRI. H.SHANTHI BHUSHAN, DSGI) THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT OF Digitally signed by PANKAJA S Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 MANDAMUS DIRECTING THE RESPONDENTS TO ACCEPT THE EXAMINATION FEE OF THE PETITIONER FOR THE ENSUING NEET (UG) 2026 EXAMINATION AND PERMIT THE PETITIONER TO APPEAR FOR THE NEET (UG) 2026 EXAMINATION. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JAYANT BANERJI and HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RAJESH RAI K ORAL ORDER (PER: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JAYANT BANERJI) Heard Smt. Lakshmy Iyengar, learned Senior counsel for the petitioner and Sri. H.Shanthi Bhushan, learned DSGI for the respondents. 2. When the matter was listed on 22.04.2026, the following order was passed: "The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner is required to produce the logs of the website portal pertaining to the petitioner inasmuch as it is alleged in the writ petition that repeated attempts were made on 11.03.2026 to make payment of the fee, but due to buffering in the portal, no payment could be made. It is also stated that once the payment of fee was debited from the concerned account, but it was reverted on the next morning. The learned Counsel appearing for the respondents may also duly file the documents produced today. On the request of Sri. H. Shanti Bhushan, learned Deputy Solicitor General of India, appearing - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 for the respondents, the matter is adjourned, to be listed again on 23.04.2026." 3. Pursuant to the previous order of the Court, learned counsel for the respondents has filed a memo enclosing judgments as well as the respondent website log details in respect of the petitioner. 4. The instant writ petition is filed seeking the following reliefs: (a) "Issue a Writ of mandamus directing the respondents to accept the examination fee of the petitioner for the ensuing NEET (UG) 2026 examination and permit the petitioner to appear for the NEET (UG) 2026 examination. (b) Pass any order or directions as this Hon'ble Court deems fit in the circumstances of the case." 5. It is evident from the public notice dated 08.02.2026 that online submission of application forms for NEET (UG) 2026 were permitted between 08.02.2026 to 08.03.2026 and the last date for successful transaction of fee through online mode was 08.03.2026 up to 11:50 p.m. 6. By a subsequent public notice dated 08.03.2026, the last date for submission of online application form for the - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 NEET (UG) 2026 was extended upto 11.03.2026 till 09:00 p.m. and the payment of fee could be made upto 11:50 p.m. on 11.03.2026 with the stipulation that no further extension would be granted. 7. On 22.04.2026, when the matter was taken up, it was argued by learned Senior counsel for the petitioner that repeated attempts were made to login on the web portal of the respondent No.1 unsuccessfully, since the buffering was taking place, which prevented the petitioner from making the payment or uploading the forms. It was also orally stated that the mother of the petitioner was running from pillar to post for obtaining the caste certificate of the petitioner, which caused the delay in uploading the application and documents. Therefore, sympathy of the Court is sought to be invoked for enabling the petitioner to submit her fees. 8. Today, in the memo filed by the learned Deputy Solicitor General of India1, the login details are filed purportedly showing successful login by the petitioner into the portal of the website of respondent No.1. It reflects that the registration 1 DSGI - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 form and the documents were uploaded on 09.02.2026 itself, which is quite contrary to what was being sought to be projected by the learned Senior counsel for the petitioner yesterday that the form and documents could only be uploaded on 11.03.2026. Thereafter, on 11.03.2026 from 19:23 p.m. onwards, repeated successful logins have been made. Thereafter on 12.03.2026, 13.03.2026, 14.03.2026, 15.03.2026 and even thereafter, successful logins were made. Today too, the learned Senior counsel for the petitioner who appears online, states that due to buffering on the payment portal of the respondent No.1, the payment of fee could not be made. 9. On perusal of the memorandum of writ petition, we find that the oral arguments advanced on 22.04.2026 by the Senior counsel for the petitioner regarding the form and documents being uploaded on 11.03.2026 are not even mentioned in the petition. There is no averment in the petition regarding the date on which the form and documents were uploaded. We do not appreciate this manner of argument by the learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner. - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 10. As is evident, from the login details furnished on behalf of the respondents, that the petitioner had uploaded the form and documents on 09.02.2026 itself. For over a month the petitioner did not submit the requisite fee. It was only on the last date that is on 11.03.2026 which was provided by the respondent No.1 for payment of the fee, successful logins were made by the petitioner without making the payment. The stated inability of the petitioner to successfully log in for making payments has not been demonstrated. 11. In the memo of documents filed on behalf of the petitioner yesterday, certain documents apparently downloaded from the website of the respondent no.1 show completion of submission of registration form. But the application form and fee payment is shown as ‘incomplete’. Moreover, on the last page of these online forms, the tab ‘Candidates Homepage’ the URL on the address bar following address is reflected: “examinationservices.nic.in/NEETc2026/Registration/frmIndex.aspx”. The webpage shows that the page is loading. Obviously the URL pertains to the registration and not the fee payment portal. The second last page of this memo of documents is as follows: - 7 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 CALLS MADE TO NTA CALL CENTRE NUMBERS SL NO DATE OF CALLING TIME OF CALLING CALLING NUMBER NEET CUSTOMER CARE NUMBER REASON FOR CALLING REMARKS 1 08/03/2026 11 AM TO 3 PM MULTIPLE TIMES 9741620538 011- 40759000 TO KNOW ABOUT EXTENSION SINCE CERTIFICATES FROM GOVT AUTHORITY WAS NOT YET PREPARED POSITIVE ABOUT DATE EXTENSION 2 11/03/2026 4 PM TO 12 AM MULTIPLE TIMES 9741620538 011- 40759000 ABOUT SOFTWARE PAGE GOING BLANK AND BUFFERING THEY ASKED ME TO WAIT AND LOGIN IN MULTIPLE SYSTEMS TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS AND PAY THE FEES WHICH WAS WRONG SUGGESTION 3 FROM 13TH ONWARDS MULTIPLE TIMES 9741620538 011- 69095235 PERSONALLY ATTENDED OFFICE ABOUT THE ISSUE EXPLAINED TO DR. PROF HC GUPTA WHO IS ONE OF THE DIRECTOR AS PER INFORMATION INITIALLY PROMISED PAYMENT GATEWAY MIGHT OPEN BUT LATER IN APRIL HE SAID WE ARE BUSY IN JEE AND NO IDEA ABOUT NEET UG 2026 12. The last page of this memo is a detailed statement of account of ICICI Bank of one Sri Harish.B. At Sl.Nos.34 and 35 of this, against the date 11.03.2026, it is reflected that Rs.1,600/- was withdrawn purportedly towards NEET payment, but it was reversed on the same day. 13. Learned Senior counsel has relied upon the judgments of the Supreme Court wherein some candidates - 8 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 were granted indulgence. It is evident from perusal of the orders of the Supreme Court that they were permitted given the peculiar facts and circumstances of those cases. However, a three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court in Atul Kumar v. Chairman2 reflects repeated attempts by the petitioner therein to login which was held to indicate his making earnest efforts to log into the portal. Considering the facts and circumstances, the Supreme Court exercised its power under Article 142 of the Constitution to do substantial justice by directing the college to grant admission to the petitioner. 14. The learned DSGI on the other hand has referred to Co-ordinate Bench judgments of this Court, bearing Neutral Citation numbers NC:2025:KHC:11338-DB3 and NC:2025: KHC: 18078-DB4. It is noted that in the case of Mr. Lohith. R, the decision of the Supreme Court in Vanshika Yadav vs. Union of India and others5 has been referred to in affirmation of the submission of the learned counsel that the portal cannot be opened for one single candidate. 2 2024 SCC Online SC 2684 3 Dinesh Nadurmath v. Union of India 4 Mr.Lohith R. v. Union of India 5 2024 INSC 568 - 9 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:22198-DB WP No. 12181 of 2026 15. As noted above, it is pertinent to mention here that the petitioner has waited for nearly one month before approaching this Court after the alleged failure by her to make the payment online. 16. No interference is called for in the facts and circumstances of the present case. Accordingly, the petition is dismissed. SD/- (JAYANT BANERJI) JUDGE SD/- (RAJESH RAI K) JUDGE HKV List No.: 2 Sl No.: 12