SC bench to hear plea challenging NEET-UG re-test in July

A bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha will hear in July a plea challenging the decision to conduct NEET-UG 2026 re-test, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak.

The CBI is currently investigating the matter, and a re-test is scheduled for June 21.

On Wednesday, a plea seeking quashing of the decision to re-conduct the NEET-UG 2026 came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana.

The CJI said the plea would be heard by a bench headed by Justice Narasimha in July when the apex court resumes normal functioning after the partial court working days.

The Justice Narasimha-led bench is already seized of separate petitions related to the NEET-UG.

The fresh plea has sought a direction to the Centre and others to implement secure technology-driven digital examination and evaluation mechanisms, including encrypted digital question delivery systems, biometric authentication, AI-assisted monitoring and secure computer-based examination infrastructure for future national-level exams.

It also sought a direction to the Centre to constitute an independent expert committee for examining structural, institutional and operational deficiencies in the functioning of the NTA.

The plea has sought quashing of the decision to re-conduct NEET-UG 2026.

As an interim relief, the plea urged the top court to stay the effect of the decision regarding the NEET-UG re-test pending final disposal of the petition.

While hearing a batch of separate pleas related to NEET-UG 2026, the top court on May 29 stressed that the real problem relating to the medical entrance examination would not stop till “actual accountability arises”.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had then told the apex court that the government was seriously concerned about the concerns of the youths and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally supervising the situation so that “there is no lacunae”.

Mehta had also said that some new mechanisms have been put in place for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.