The Delhi High Court issued notices to the Union Government, UGC, and NTA in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking exemption of entrance exam fees for women candidates applying to centrally-funded institutions like IITs, NITs, and AIIMS.
New Delhi-The Delhi High Court has asked the Union Government, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking fee exemption for women candidates appearing in entrance exams conducted by Central government-funded institutions such as IITs, NITs, AIIMS, and other central universities.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notices to the Central authorities after hearing the matter on May 29, 2025.
The PIL was filed by Mona Arya, who urged the Court to direct the Central authorities to exempt women applicants from paying exam fees for competitive entrance tests conducted by institutions like Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and central universities.
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Mona Arya submitted that such an exemption would help millions of women, especially those from financially weak or socially unsupportive backgrounds, to pursue higher education in premier institutions.
“The step would enable millions of women, especially from underprivileged or unsupportive familial backgrounds, to submit their candidature and apply for exams and interviews to these institutions.”
The petition also referred to an Office Memorandum dated August 3, 2010, issued by the Central government, which proposed fee exemption for women candidates. However, according to the petitioner, this memorandum has not been implemented till date.
The petitioner highlighted that the government already holds the power to implement such beneficial measures under the Indian Constitution.
“The authority to issue such executive orders, as reflected in the aforesaid Office Memorandum for the welfare of women, finds its basis in Article 15(3) of the Constitution of India, which empowers the State and its instrumentalities—such as the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions—to make special provisions for women and children,” it was submitted.
The plea also stressed that the failure to implement the Office Memorandum is a violation of the fundamental right to education for women.
“Non-compliance with the office memo amounts to a violation of the fundamental right to education.”
The petitioner was represented by a team of lawyers including Advocate Md Imran Ahmad, Yashodhara Singh, Perpreet Brar, Amarjeet Gupta, and R Jude Rohit.
Case Name: Mona Arya v Union of India & Ors
