The Supreme Court on June 1 declined to direct the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the upcoming NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, scheduled for June 21, in a computer-based test (CBT) format instead of the existing pen-and-paper mode.
A vacation bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Aravind Kumar refused to grant interim relief and listed the matter for hearing in July. The petition was filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, seeking multiple directions concerning the conduct of the NEET examination.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel stated that the primary request was for the re-test to be conducted in CBT mode. However, the bench noted that similar petitions had previously been rejected by the Court.
The counsel argued that authorities were proceeding with preparations for the June 21 examination in the traditional offline format. The Court, however, highlighted the logistical and operational challenges involved in altering the examination process at this stage.
Justice Narasimha observed that there was no justification for granting such a direction now, particularly when the authorities were already dealing with the aftermath of the exam’s cancellation and the arrangements for its re-conduct.
The Court subsequently deferred the matter until after the vacation period.
The petition follows the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3, which was scrapped due to allegations of a large-scale paper leak. In addition to seeking a CBT-based re-test, the plea called for comprehensive reforms in the NEET examination system.
Among the requests made were the preparation of a time-bound roadmap for transitioning NEET-UG to a fully computer-based examination format, along with plans for infrastructure development, cybersecurity measures, examination centre readiness, and provisions to ensure accessibility for all candidates.