The plea acknowledged that allegations of paper leaks and examination malpractice are serious and warrant strict investigation and exemplary action against those involved.
According to the petition, investigations carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have revealed organised networks involving intermediaries, coaching facilitators and individuals associated with the confidential examination process.
It also stated that the impugned action has disrupted the larger medical admissions process across the country.
Besides challenging the re-examination decision, the PIL sought wide-ranging institutional and technological reforms in the conduct of national-level competitive examinations.
As an interim measure, the petition sought a stay on the operation and implementation of the decision directing nationwide re-conduct of NEET-UG 2026.
Dr. Kohli, a former senior medical administrator associated with medical education and public health, had stated that she has remained involved with issues concerning transparency, standardisation and fairness in medical admissions and entrance examinations, including institutional efforts that contributed to the evolution of NEET as a unified and merit-based national entrance examination. The plea acknowledged that allegations of paper leaks and examination malpractice are serious and warrant strict investigation and exemplary action against those involved. However, it contends that lakhs of bona fide candidates should not be made to suffer for institutional and administrative failures attributable to the examination-conducting authority.
According to the petition, investigations carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have revealed organised networks involving intermediaries, coaching facilitators and individuals associated with the confidential examination process. Official statements issued by investigating agencies, the plea says, indicate that persons entrusted with access to confidential examination material allegedly misused such access by circulating actual examination questions through organised coaching sessions and intermediaries operating across identified centres and regions.
The petitioner argued that the material disclosed by investigating agencies points to "localised operational compromise through specific organised networks" and does not establish nationwide contamination of the entire examination process. Despite this, the NTA proceeded to cancel the examination and direct a nationwide re-conduct of NEET-UG 2026, compelling approximately 22 lakh students to once again undergo one of the country's most competitive entrance examinations.
The plea submited that the decision has caused severe academic, mental and financial hardship to lakhs of candidates, the overwhelming majority of whom have no connection whatsoever with the alleged malpractice. It also stated that the impugned action has disrupted the larger medical admissions process across the country.
Besides challenging the re-examination decision, the PIL sought wide-ranging institutional and technological reforms in the conduct of national-level competitive examinations. The petition seeks directions for implementation of secure, technology-driven digital examination and evaluation systems, including encrypted digital question delivery mechanisms, biometric authentication, artificial intelligence-assisted monitoring and secure computer-based examination infrastructure.
As an interim measure, the petition sought a stay on the operation and implementation of the decision directing nationwide re-conduct of NEET-UG 2026. It also seeks directions restraining the authorities from proceeding with the proposed re-examination or taking any consequential steps arising from it during the pendency of the PIL. The petition contended that while those responsible for any examination compromise must be identified and proceeded against, a blanket cancellation and re-examination affecting the entire candidate population fails the tests of constitutional fairness and proportionality and unjustly penalises lakhs of meritorious students who were not implicated in any alleged wrongdoing.
In a related news, the Supreme Court had recently refused a plea made before it to conduct re-test of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026, scheduled on June 21, through a Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar was hearing a petition by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh which demanded immediate migration of NEET examinations to a CBT-based system. The bench posted the matter to July, effectively denying relief of NEET re-test. Justice Narasimha observed that the Court had already dismissed similar pleas in the past. "You know what kind of problems we are having. The examination was cancelled, it is being reconducted...the kind of pressure that they have, similar matters we have dismissed," Justice Narasimha observed.
