NEET-PG 2026: Plea in Supreme Court seeks actual questions, options, and answer key

In short

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court under Article 32 by the Democratic Medical Association and aspirant doctors.
The petition challenges the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) decision to release only numerical IDs of questions, answer key, and candidate responses for NEET-PG 2026.
Petitioners seek directions for NBEMS to provide candidates with actual questions and options, a downloadable electronic copy of records, and a time-bound objection mechanism.
NEET-PG 2026 was conducted on August 30, 2026, with results declared on September 24, 2026.
The Supreme Court had previously issued notice on a similar plea concerning the NEET (PG) exam question paper and answer key, returnable on July 8, 2024.

The Supreme Court of India today, October 2, 2026, received a writ petition challenging the disclosure mechanism for NEET-PG 2026 scores. Filed by the Democratic Medical Association and aspirant doctors, the petition seeks greater transparency from the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) regarding the post-examination process for the postgraduate medical entrance examination. Advocates Satyam Singh Rajput and AOR Ms. Neema are representing the petitioners.

The petition, Diary No. 61605/2026, has been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, contending that the current system, which provides only numerical IDs for questions and answers, prevents candidates from independently verifying their scores. This issue affects 2,65,960 candidates who appeared for NEET-PG 2026, with their scores and ranks forming the basis for the upcoming counselling and admission process.

Challenge to NBEMS Disclosure Mechanism

The core of the petition lies in its challenge to the NBEMS’s decision, communicated via a notice dated October 1, 2026, to release only numerical IDs of questions, answer keys, and candidate responses. While NBEMS provided question-wise evaluation and answer-key-related details through individual applicant logins on October 1, 2026, the petitioners argue this is insufficient. The notice provides Question IDs, numerical IDs of correct answers, candidates’ recorded responses, and marks awarded for each question.

However, the petition contends that this does not disclose the actual questions or the text of the options in the sequence they were presented to individual candidates. Given that NEET-PG employs a candidate-specific shuffling mechanism for both the sequence of questions and the order of options, petitioners state that merely informing a candidate that ‘Option 2’ was correct against a particular Question ID, and ‘Option 3’ was selected, does not enable them to ascertain the underlying question or the actual content of the options. The petitioners describe the current system as a “coded numerical matrix” that candidates cannot correlate with their actual examination experience.

Demands for Enhanced Transparency and Verification

To address these concerns, the petition seeks several specific directions from the Supreme Court. Foremost among these is a demand for NBEMS to provide candidates with the actual questions and options shown to them during the examination. In addition, the petitioners are seeking a downloadable and permanent electronic copy of examination records in PDF, CSV, or another suitable format, which they believe is crucial for independent verification.

The petition also proposes the establishment of a reasonable and time-bound mechanism for candidates to raise objections to specific questions. It suggests the constitution of a subject-expert committee to consider these objections and seeks consequential corrections to scores and ranks wherever errors are established. In addition, the petitioners are calling for appropriate guidelines or standard operating procedures for transparent post-examination disclosure in future exams, and the quashing of the October 1, 2026, notice to the extent it restricts full disclosure.

Precedent and Ongoing Concerns

Concerns over the transparency and verifiability of post-examination disclosure mechanisms have been a recurring issue across successive NEET-PG examination cycles. The current petition cites the case of Upendra Yadav v. National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, which challenged the disclosure for NEET-PG 2025, highlighting a pattern of similar grievances.

In a previous plea concerning the NEET (PG) exam question paper and answer key, the Supreme Court had issued notice returnable on July 8, 2024. A vacation bench presided over by Justice Vikram Nath had sought responses from the National Board of Examinations (NBE), Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), and other authorities. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had clarified in that instance that it was not a necessary party to the litigation, as the NBE conducts the PG entrance examination. Advocate Charu Mathur, in a previous plea, had stated, “There are no other competitive exams in India, with such a lack of transparency and complete one-sided flow of information as NEET-PG.”