Bombay High Court Directs NTA to Declare Re-NEET Result for Witness in Paper Leak Case
The Bombay High Court has directed the National Testing Agency to declare the Re-NEET-UG 2026 result of a medical aspirant who is named as a witness in the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe into the NEET paper leak case in Maharashtra.
A bench comprising Justices Riyaz Chagla and Firdosh Pooniwalla passed the interim order on August 25, noting that withholding the candidate's result would prevent him from participating in the ongoing Centralised Admission Process for MBBS and BDS courses across the state.
The petitioner had approached the court through advocate Pooja Thorat seeking directions to the testing agency to announce his result for the Re-NEET-UG exam held on June 21. The re-test had been organised for candidates affected by the paper leak controversy.
The CBI, which filed its charge sheet on July 20, opposed the declaration of the score, stating that the aspirant was a direct beneficiary of the leaked examination papers. The agency also requested time to submit an affidavit in reply.
The bench observed that the agency had listed the petitioner as a witness rather than an accused in the charge sheet. The judges noted that any allegations regarding his role would have to be established during the proceedings initiated by the investigating agency.
Taking into account the revised admission schedule, the court highlighted the urgency of the matter. The Centralised Admission Process commenced on August 19, with the final merit list and reporting procedures scheduled shortly thereafter.
The court directed the National Testing Agency to declare the petitioner's Re-NEET result on August 27. The bench stated that if the candidate achieves the required qualifying marks, he must be allowed to participate in the first round of admissions by registering offline in accordance with the applicable schedule.
The judges clarified that the interim relief does not interfere with the ongoing CBI investigation and creates no equity in favour of the candidate. The matter has been posted for its next hearing on September 11.
