NBEMS NEET PG 2026 notice challenge: Supreme Court issues notice on answer key plea
The NBEMS NEET-PG 2026 notice challenge has reached the Supreme Court, with petitioners seeking greater transparency in the disclosure of examination questions, answer options and candidate responses
NBEMS NEET PG 2026 notice challenge: Supreme Court issues notice on answer key plea
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the NBEMS NEET PG 2026 notice challenge filed by the Democratic Medical Association (DMA). On October 15, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe issued notice on the plea and tagged it with other pending petitions. The DMA wants NBEMS to show candidates the actual questions and options from their paper. At the moment, it shows them codes.
What the October 1 notice gives candidates
NEET PG 2026 was held on August 30 for about 2.65 lakh candidates at 1,111 centres. NBEMS declared results on September 24. A week later it published the October 1 notice, which lets candidates see a question-wise evaluation after logging in. It was the first time NBEMS released an answer key and responses for NEET PG, and it said it did so under a Supreme Court order dated April 29, 2025.
The login shows a Question ID, a numerical ID for the correct answer, the ID of the option you marked, and the marks you received for that question. It shows no question text and no option text.
Why the DMA says that falls short
NBEMS shuffles questions and options for each candidate. Your question 47 may be someone else's question 112, and your option B may be their option D. A numerical ID means nothing until you can match it to the wording you saw on screen, and the petition says candidates can't do that today. Without it, nobody can check whether NBEMS scored a response correctly.
The paper had 180 questions, with four marks for a correct answer and a one-mark penalty for a wrong one. A single question scored wrongly can move a candidate's total by five marks, which is a large gap when 2.65 lakh people compete for ranks.
What the petition asks for
The DMA wants the Court to quash the October 1 notice to the extent that it limits disclosure to numerical identifiers. It also wants NBEMS directed to give each candidate a downloadable record through their own login, with the actual questions, full options, recorded responses and the official key. Finally, it asks for a fixed window to raise objections, so NBEMS can verify them before counselling and admissions move further.
Advocate Satyam Singh Rajpoot and Advocate-on-Record Neema appear for the petitioners in Democratic Medical Association v. Union of India and Others.
What the notice does and doesn't mean
Issuing notice asks NBEMS and the Centre to respond. The Court has decided nothing on the merits, and the petition doesn't prove that anyone's score is wrong. Reports from the hearing mention no interim order on results or counselling.
This is also not the first NEET PG 2026 case. On September 3, the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL that sought a full re-test, imposed costs on the petitioner, and criticised the petitioner and the advocate. The DMA's plea asks for less: the right to see your own paper.
If you sat the exam
Log in at natboard.edu.in and save your scorecard, Question IDs and recorded responses today. If the Court orders wider disclosure, you'll have something to check it against. Until the case moves, follow NBEMS notices for any change to disclosure or counselling.