Medical body moves Supreme Court over NEET-UG 2026 cancellation

The Federation of All India Medical Association has approached the Supreme Court of India alleging “systemic failure” in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination and seeking sweeping reforms to the country’s medical entrance testing system.

The petition comes after the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which had been conducted on 3 May, following allegations of a question paper leak. The matter is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Filed through advocate Tanvi Dubey, the plea calls for a complete restructuring of the national testing mechanism, including replacing the NTA with what it described as a more autonomous and technologically advanced body capable of ensuring transparency and accountability.

The medical association also cited media reports claiming that so-called “guess papers” circulated on encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram allegedly matched more than 100 questions from the actual examination paper.

According to the petition, repeated irregularities in competitive examinations have eroded public trust in the system and exposed serious vulnerabilities in the conduct of high-stakes tests.

FAIMA has urged the court to establish a high-powered monitoring committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and comprising cybersecurity specialists and forensic experts to supervise the re-conduct of the examination.

The cancellation of the medical entrance test has affected more than 22 lakh aspirants across the country, leaving students and families uncertain about the revised examination schedule, fresh admit cards, examination centres and counselling timelines.

NEET-UG is the gateway examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses across India and is among the country’s largest competitive entrance tests. The latest controversy has renewed scrutiny over the functioning of the NTA, which has faced criticism over examination management and security concerns in recent years.

With PTI inputs