Summary
The petition, which sought urgent relief against the proposed re-examination scheduled for June 21, will now be taken up after the court resumes regular hearings in July
According to reports, the matter was listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana
The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of a petition challenging the National Testing Agency's (NTA) decision to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 and conduct a fresh examination for nearly 22 lakh candidates.
The petition, which sought urgent relief against the proposed re-examination scheduled for June 21, will now be taken up after the court resumes regular hearings in July.
According to reports, the matter was listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana. However, the bench did not hear the case and directed that it be placed before a bench headed by Justice P S Narasimha, who is already dealing with several matters related to the NEET examination.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to resume regular sittings from July 13, after which the matter is expected to be heard.
The plea was filed by former Assistant Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Mangala Kohli, challenging the NTA's decision to cancel the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 and order a nationwide re-test following allegations of paper leak and examination malpractice.
The petitioner has sought a stay on the re-examination process and requested the court to restrain authorities from proceeding with the June 21 test until the matter is adjudicated.
According to the petition, while allegations of malpractice must be investigated thoroughly and those responsible punished, cancelling the examination for all candidates unfairly impacts thousands of students who had no involvement in the alleged irregularities.
The plea argues that the interests of bona fide candidates should not be compromised because of administrative failures or security lapses in the examination system.
It contends that available evidence suggests the alleged malpractice was confined to specific individuals, examination centres and organised groups, rather than affecting the entire examination process. On this basis, the petition describes the decision to cancel the examination for all candidates and order a fresh nationwide test as arbitrary and disproportionate.
The petitioner has further argued that such action infringes constitutional protections guaranteed under Articles 14, 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution.
Apart from challenging the re-test decision, the petition has sought broader reforms in the conduct of national-level entrance examinations.
Among the measures proposed are encrypted digital delivery of question papers, biometric authentication of candidates, artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems and a gradual shift towards computer-based examination infrastructure.
The plea has also requested the constitution of an independent expert committee to examine operational and institutional shortcomings within the NTA and recommend measures to strengthen examination security and transparency.
The case comes amid continuing debate over examination integrity, student rights and the responsibility of testing agencies in ensuring fair conduct of high-stakes entrance examinations. With the hearing now deferred to July, uncertainty remains over the legal challenge even as preparations continue for the proposed NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21.
Last updated on 17 Jun 2026
