SC dismisses PIL for re-test of NEET-PG 2026 examination

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL that sought to re-conduct the NEET-PG 2026 exam, as it pulled up and imposed a cost on the petitioner and the advocate for filing such a petition.

A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said it will ask the Bar Council of India to take action against the lawyer for misuse of the process of law. "It appears this person has become a full-time PIL litigant. Wherever exams are conducted, you go on to file petitions. Why did you file a petition earlier to stay? Is it at your instance or the petitioner really interested in filing it? We will ask the Bar Council of India to take serious action against you," the top court told the lawyer.

The petitioner sought re-examination for all students , alleging there was a violation of a May 2025 order wherein the court mandated that the NEET-PG be conducted in a single shift. The bench imposed the cost of Rs 25,000 on the petitioner.

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MD,MS aspirants vs NBEMS

The lawyer contended that around 2,500 candidates couldn't complete their exams in Jaipur due to an internal power outage, and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences ( NBEMS ) later announced a second exam for these candidates, which is set to take place on September 5.

The counsel, appearing for NBEMS, told the court that the petitioners are from Noida and Punjab and were not affected at all by the disruption. The counsel further said that the lawyer has solicited comments and cases from all the aspirants on social media, which has created a problem.

The NBEMS counsel said that with 1,111 examination centres located across India, the disruption was limited to just two centres in Jaipur due to the power failure. Justice Aradhe inquired whether the petitioners filing the current PIL intended to take the exam, to which the counsel said no.

Justice Narasimha said, "We will ask the Bar Council of India to take action against you. Just because of getting two more extra briefs, you are seeking cases on social media. How are you concerned about so many students calling you and informing you? Do you realise the kind of harm you are causing this country?" The top court ultimately dismissed the PIL.