The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent hearing on a writ petition challenging the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) decision to cancel the NEET-UG 2026 examination and conduct a nationwide re-test for nearly 22 lakh candidates.
The matter was mentioned before the Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana. The petitioner sought urgent interim relief, including a stay on the decision to re-conduct the examination and a direction restraining authorities from proceeding with the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21 pending final adjudication of the case.
However, the Apex Court refused to grant an urgent hearing and observed that several matters relating to NEET-UG 2026 were already being heard by a Bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha. The Court directed that the petition be listed before the same Bench, which is scheduled to resume hearing after the Supreme Court reopens following the summer recess in July.
The petition was filed by former Assistant Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Mangala Kohli through Advocate-on-Record Abhishek Chandra Mishra. It challenged the NTA’s decision to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2026 conducted on May 3 and order a fresh examination across the country following allegations of question paper leaks and examination malpractice.
The plea contended that while allegations of examination fraud warranted thorough investigation and stringent action against those responsible, a blanket cancellation of the examination unfairly penalised lakhs of bona fide candidates who had no connection with the alleged irregularities. It argued that the constitutional rights and legitimate interests of genuine candidates cannot be sacrificed due to institutional and administrative failures attributable to the examination-conducting authority.
According to the petition, material emerging during investigations indicated that the alleged malpractice was confined to identified individuals, examination centres and organised networks rather than affecting the integrity of the entire examination process. The plea referred to findings of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which allegedly pointed to a localised operational compromise through specific organised networks rather than nationwide contamination of the examination.
The petitioner submitted that the NTA’s decision has compelled nearly 22 lakh students, including a vast majority of meritorious candidates unconnected with any wrongdoing, to undergo the rigours of a highly competitive national examination once again. It was argued that the decision had resulted in substantial academic disruption, mental stress and financial hardship for candidates and their families, while also affecting the broader medical admissions process across the country.
The petition further contended that the decision to order a nationwide re-examination was arbitrary, excessive and disproportionate, which violated Articles 14, 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution.
Apart from challenging the re-test, the plea sought wide-ranging institutional, structural and technological reforms in the conduct of national-level competitive examinations. It urged the Court to direct the implementation of secure digital examination and evaluation systems, including encrypted digital transmission of question papers, biometric authentication of candidates, artificial intelligence-assisted monitoring mechanisms and computer-based examination infrastructure.
The petition further sought the creation of independent oversight mechanisms and enhanced security protocols for future examinations. Additionally, the petitioner sought the constitution of an independent expert committee to examine institutional, administrative and operational deficiencies within the NTA and recommend reforms to improve transparency, accountability and examination security.
The challenge comes amid ongoing litigation concerning NEET-UG 2026. Earlier this month, the Bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Aravind Kumar declined to direct the NTA to conduct the June 21 re-examination in computer-based test mode, observing that such a direction could not be issued when authorities were already in the process of conducting the fresh examination. That matter was also posted for hearing in July, along with other petitions seeking reforms in the functioning of the NTA.
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination is scheduled to be conducted on June 21 in the existing pen-and-paper format, with admit cards already issued to candidates. Meanwhile, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh has assured aspirants that the re-examination will be conducted in a secure and error-free manner. He has also cautioned students and parents against fraudsters operating through social media platforms and messaging channels claiming to sell leaked examination papers.
The NTA has maintained that no question paper has been leaked for the re-examination and has stated that measures, including the temporary restriction on access to Telegram until June 22, have been taken to curb misinformation, fake claims and examination-related scams. The agency further stated that the Indian Air Force is assisting in the logistics and secure transportation of question papers to facilitate the smooth conduct of the re-test within 37 days of the cancellation of the original examination.
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