In Brief
The Supreme Court dismissed writ petitions challenging the award of bonus marks in JEE (Advanced) 2017 examinations. Due to printing inconsistencies in Chemistry Question 29 and Mathematics Question 39, the examining body awarded +3 and +4 bonus marks respectively to all candidates to ensure equal treatment. Petitioners argued this unfairly benefited students who did not attempt questions. The Court held that Guru Nanak Dev University precedent was distinguishable given the scale (156,000 candidates vs. 10,000 previously) and negative marking provisions. The uniform bonus approach was reasonable. The Court vacated the interim stay on admissions and directed authorities to implement foolproof mechanisms to prevent future errors.
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