The Supreme Court has declined a request to have the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination conducted in a computer-based test format. The Court stated that such a directive could not be given at this point, as preparations for the fresh examination on June 21 were already underway. The Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Aravind Kumar expressed reluctance to switch from the current pen-and-paper format to computer-based testing for the re-test and has scheduled a hearing for July.
This decision implies that the re-examination will proceed as planned in its current format. Admit cards for the re-test are anticipated to be issued by June 14. The plea, filed by advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, had urged immediate action to conduct the June 21 re-exam through computer-based testing, citing concerns over paper leaks and security issues in the current system.
During the proceedings, the Bench led by Justice Narasimha emphasized that granting such relief was not feasible at this juncture, given the cancellation and reconduction of the examination. The Court indicated that the matter could be revisited in the next hearing, aligning it with other petitions seeking reforms in the NTA’s operations.
The petition highlighted that despite recommendations from a committee led by former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan after the 2024 controversy, NEET-UG 2026 continued to be conducted using the traditional pen-and-paper method. In a recent hearing on examination reforms, the Supreme Court stressed the importance of establishing individual accountability within the NTA to address recurring issues.
The Centre informed the Bench that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally overseeing the situation following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy.
