Delhi High Court’s Directive on NEET UG 2026 Results
The Delhi High Court has instructed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to release the NEET UG 2026 results for two candidates who were previously barred due to allegations of receiving a leaked question paper. This decision, rendered by Justice Jasmeet Singh on August 24, also allows the candidates to engage in subsequent counselling rounds for admission to medical colleges, contingent upon their eligibility.
In the judgment, Justice Singh emphasized the importance of not penalizing students at such an early stage in their academic journey based on unproven allegations. “The petitioners are at a nascent stage of their academic careers. In these circumstances, I am of the view that the withholding of their results, merely on the basis of allegations which are yet to be tested in accordance with law, would cause serious prejudice to them,” stated the Court.
Background of the NEET Paper Leak Allegations
The candidates undertook the NEET (UG) examination on May 3, 2026, which was later annulled due to claims of a question paper leak, prompting a re-examination. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched an inquiry into the leak, eventually naming the petitioners as witnesses in its chargesheet.
Despite this, the NTA withheld their Re-NEET results and issued show-cause notices on July 5, 2026, following CBI’s notification that several candidates had purportedly received or disseminated the May 3 question paper. The CBI alleged that the petitioners had acquired the leaked paper and had made payments to obtain it, suggesting their complicity. However, they were cited as witnesses rather than accused parties in the CBI’s chargesheet.
Court’s Observations and Directions
In consideration of the submissions, Justice Singh noted that the chargesheet had not yet been legally verified and that the accusations against the petitioners required evidential substantiation. The Court expressed concern that withholding the results could have severe repercussions on the candidates’ educational prospects.
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“To deny the petitioners an opportunity to participate in the counselling process at this stage may result in consequences which cannot subsequently be adequately remedied,” the Court further observed. Consequently, the NTA was ordered to publish the results within 24 hours of the order’s release, and the candidates were permitted to apply for counselling offline if results were still pending.
However, the Court clarified that this decision does not shield the candidates from potential legal actions should the allegations be substantiated. The case is scheduled for further hearing on January 8, 2027, with the NTA given four weeks to respond.
Legal Representation
The candidates were represented by Senior Advocate Manish Bishnoi along with advocates Sarthak Bhatia, Sahil, and Chaitanya Madhav. The NTA’s legal team included advocates Sanjay Khanna, Pragya Bhushan, Jaya Choudhary, Meemansa Dixit, Naman Dwivedi, and Saurabh Pandey. Special Public Prosecutor Ripu Daman Bhardwaj and advocate Kushagra Kumar represented the CBI, while Central Government Standing Counsel Manisha Agrawal Narain and advocate Nipun Jain appeared for the Union of India.
