NEET UG aspirant’s plea dismissed by High Court over 415-mark discrepancy

The High Court today dismissed a petition filed by Shreya Chaudhari, a NEET-UG aspirant from Patan, Gujarat, who sought intervention regarding her NEET scorecard. Chaudhari had expected to secure around 580 marks out of 720 in the medical entrance re-examination but was declared to have scored 165 marks by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Justice Aniruddha P Mayee ruled that there was “no ground to interfere” with the NEET scorecard declared by the NTA on July 16, 2026. The ruling comes amidst increased scrutiny on the NTA this year concerning the administration of competitive examinations for undergraduate medical college admissions.

Disputed Score and Petitioner’s Claims

The NEET-UG examination, originally held on May 3, 2026, was cancelled due to a question paper leak, leading to a re-test on June 21, 2026. Results, scorecards, and final answer keys for this re-test were later declared on July 16, 2026.

Shreya Chaudhari’s counsel stated that the NTA collected both copies of her OMR sheet after the June 21 re-examination. The NTA later uploaded a scanned image of the OMR sheet on July 13, 2026. The petitioner contended that the responses visible in this scanned image were not those she had marked during the examination. She communicated her concerns to the NTA on July 18, July 20, and July 24, 2026. Also, an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, was filed on July 21, 2026, requesting an inspection of her OMR sheet. The NTA responded on July 23, 2026, reiterating the data in the scanned image and upholding the score of 165 marks. The NTA’s records indicated 63 correct, 87 incorrect, and 30 unattended responses for Chaudhari, based on a scoring system of four marks for a correct answer and a one-mark deduction for an incorrect answer.

Court’s Examination of OMR Sheet

The High Court, on August 13, 2026, directed the NTA to produce the original OMR sheet in a sealed cover. The petitioner deposited Rs 30,000 to cover the expenses for the production of the original OMR sheet. On August 24, 2026, NTA Joint Director Harshit Agarwal presented the original OMR sheet in open court. The sheet was unsealed and shown to Shreya Chaudhari and her advocate, and a scanned copy of the original OMR sheet was taken on record by the court.

Following this inspection, the High Court concluded that the petitioner “has not been able to establish any material discrepancy” between the original and scanned images of the OMR sheet. Justice Aniruddha P Mayee further stated that the petitioner’s expectation of 580 marks could not serve as a basis for interference with the result, and mock test scores have “no bearing” on OMR responses. The court noted that the petitioner had not disputed the signature on the OMR answer sheet, and allegations regarding additional numbers, font, indentation, or thumb impression did not, by themselves, establish that the scanned OMR sheet was not original or that responses were altered. The petition was dismissed without costs.

Context and Similar Cases

The NTA had stated that candidates could raise objections online until July 15, 2026, but the petitioner did not do so as she was out of the state at the time. The petitioner’s counsel had argued that the NTA’s policy of keeping records for only 90 days could render grievances ineffective and violated rights under Article 14 of the Constitution. The NTA counsel, however, argued the petition was “misconceived,” asserting that the original sheet bore the petitioner’s signature, handwriting, and left-thumb impression, along with the invigilator’s signature.

This case follows other instances of NEET aspirants challenging their scores. The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court recently fined another NEET aspirant, Shrishti Shantibodh Mishra, INR 25,000 for a similar petition after her inspection confirmed the NTA’s score of 160 marks out of 720, despite her expectation of 680 marks. Separately, an 18-year-old NEET-UG candidate moved the Bombay High Court, claiming she “ought to have obtained 410” marks instead of the 340 declared. The Supreme Court has previously intervened in matters of NEET scoring, overruling a Madras High Court order that allowed grace marks for translation mistakes in the Tamil NEET exam, stating that the High Court “can’t dole out marks like this.” The NEET-UG 2026 scorecard, OMR-related information, and public notices regarding OMR answer sheets are available on the NTA’s official NEET portal.

Further reading

• Karnataka NEET UG 2026 stray round registration begins: apply by October 16
• West Bengal NEET UG stray round dates 2026 out: register by October 16
• NEET application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply Next step
• CUET 2027 law course admissions: UG registration in January, PG exams in March
• AIIMS Paramedical application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• NEET: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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