In a significant development affecting India’s competitive exam ecosystem, the Delhi High Court has directed the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL) to urgently investigate allegations of scorecard tampering in the JEE-Main 2025 examination.
Students Claim Digital Tampering
The case—Anusha Gupta & Ors v. National Testing Agency & Ors—involves two petitioners who claim their Session I scorecards, initially downloaded from the NTA website, later disappeared and were replaced with altered versions showing lower marks.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), however, strongly refuted the allegations. Their counsel asserted that the scorecards were also emailed to the candidates and uploaded by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which confirmed no alteration had occurred.
CFSL & CERT-In Lack Forensic Capability
Initially, the Court had directed the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to investigate. But it was later revealed that CFSL and CERT-In, the nodal agency under MeitY, lacked the technical infrastructure to carry out deep-level digital forensics and server imaging.
Following this, on May 21, Justice Vikas Mahajan instructed that the probe be transferred to NCFL, which specializes in advanced cyber forensic analysis.
Key Forensic Questions to Be Investigated
The Court directed NCFL to investigate the following:
- Were the scorecards shown by students originally downloaded from the NTA website?
- Is there any digital evidence of tampering (altered metadata, timestamps, authorship inconsistencies)?
- Were the emails containing scorecards sent on Feb 12–13, 2025, actually received by the students?
- Can any further data help establish the authenticity of the documents?
The Director of NCFL has been granted liberty to seek additional information or inspect NTA records.
Time-Sensitive Investigation
With JEE Advanced 2025 results expected on June 2, the Court has emphasized urgency, ordering NCFL to submit findings in a sealed cover by May 29.
“The Director is requested to expedite the investigation… in view of the urgency,” the Court noted.
Broader Implications for Digital Examination Systems
This case has raised serious questions about the security, transparency, and auditability of India’s digital examination infrastructure. As competitive exams like JEE and NEET transition to fully digital platforms, experts say robust forensic and audit mechanisms must evolve in parallel to preserve public trust.While the outcome of this probe is still pending, the Delhi High Court’s proactive stance sets an important precedent for handling tech-based exam disputes with transparency and speed.
