Supreme Court defers hearing on NEET-UG re-test challenge to July
The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred to July the hearing of a petition challenging the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) decision to re-conduct the NEET-UG 2026 examination. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana directed that the matter be listed before a Bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha, which is already hearing a batch of cases related to the NEET examination. Justice Narasimha’s Bench is scheduled to resume its sittings only after the Court reopens on July 13, effectively rendering the plea infructuous as the re-test is set for June 21.
The NEET-UG 2026 exam, originally held on May 3, was cancelled nationwide on May 12 after allegations of a paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into the matter, and the NTA scheduled a fresh examination for June 21, impacting nearly 22 lakh candidates.
The plea, filed by former Assistant Director General of Health Services Dr. Mangala Kohli, seeks to quash the decision to re-conduct NEET-UG 2026. It argues that the blanket cancellation and nationwide re-test unfairly penalise lakhs of bona fide candidates who had no connection with the alleged paper leak. The petition states that while allegations of malpractice are serious and require strict investigation, the constitutional rights and legitimate interests of honest candidates cannot be sacrificed due to institutional and administrative failures of the exam-conducting authority.
The petition also calls for directions to the Centre and other authorities to introduce secure, technology-driven examination systems for future national-level tests. These measures include encrypted digital question delivery, biometric authentication, AI-assisted monitoring, and robust computer-based testing infrastructure. It further seeks the constitution of an independent expert committee to examine institutional limitations in the NTA’s functioning and recommend corrective measures. As an interim measure, the petitioner had sought a stay on the decision to conduct the re-test.
Earlier, the Bench led by Justice Narasimha had raised serious concerns over the cancellation, describing it as “very traumatic” for students and their families. The court underscored the need for accountability, observing that the real problem would persist until specific duty-bearers are identified. The Bench directed the Union government and the NTA to place on record the steps taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
