The CAT 2024 exam took place on November 24, with the provisional answer key released on December 3. Mallick, one of the examinees, raised objections to a question in the comprehension section, claiming an error in the declared correct answer. Despite his objection, the final answer key was released without changes.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (7th Jan) dismissed a petition challenging the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 results. The exam is used for admissions to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top business schools.
Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju rejected the petition filed by Aditya Kumar Mallick, a CAT aspirant, who alleged that there was an error in the answer key that impacted his results.
The Court stated, “We find no reason to interfere, the petition is accordingly dismissed.”
Earlier, on January 3, the Court had expressed its inclination to reject the plea, noting its limited scope to intervene in competitive exam disputes.
“Law is clear on this aspect, normally the court will not interfere. Only when there is egregious wrong, we will interfere. When there is a grey area, we will not interfere,”
the judge had remarked while reserving the judgment.
The CAT 2024 exam took place on November 24, with the provisional answer key released on December 3. Mallick, one of the examinees, raised objections to a question in the comprehension section, claiming an error in the declared correct answer. Despite his objection, the final answer key was released without changes.
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Background
Mallick argued that his challenge was supported by faculty members and experts from various CAT coaching centers. His plea stated that a total of 272 objections were raised by candidates regarding the same question.
Advocate Praveen Kumar Singh, representing Mallick, argued, “272 objections were filed on this one question…Even if two options are correct, we (candidates who did not choose the answer marked as correct in the answer key) are benefiting.”
The petitioner criticized IIM Calcutta, which conducted the exam, for hurriedly declaring results on December 19, contrary to the expectation that results would be announced in January 2025.
He argued, “The haste in declaring results in December speaks volumes.”
Mallick requested the Court to set aside the declared results and appoint an expert committee to review the disputed answers. He also referred to a recent Delhi High Court directive to revise the results of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) after finding merit in a candidate’s objection to answers in its final key.
Senior Advocate Arvind Nayar, representing IIM Calcutta, opposed the petition, asserting that the subject matter expert committee had already reviewed the objections.
He argued, “A personal difference of opinion about the right answer does not undermine the committee’s view.” He further urged the Court to trust the examiners’ judgment, stating, “In case there was any doubt on what the right answer was, the Court should rely on the expert committee.”
The credentials of the expert committee members were submitted to the Court in a sealed cover. Nayar dismissed the relevance of coaching centers’ opinions, emphasizing the credibility of the established evaluation process.
The petitioner was represented by advocates Praveen Kumar Singh, Sanal Nambiar, Ishita Goel, Chetna Singh, and Charu Singh. IIM Calcutta’s legal team included Senior Advocate Arvind Nayar, instructed by Fox & Mandal’s Kunal Vajani, along with advocates Kunal Mimani, Sharmistha Ghosh, Kartikey Bhatt, and Tanish Arora.
[Case Title: Aditya Kumar Mallick v. Union Of India And Anr]
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