Supreme Court seeks Centre's response to plea challenging reduction of NEET-PG 2025 cut-off

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the Central government's response to a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the decision to lower the qualifying cut-off percentiles for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Post Graduate (NEET-PG) examinations [Harisharan Devgan v. Union of India]..A Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe heard the matter and posted it for further hearing on February 6, 2026.The plea challenges a notice issued by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) under which the qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025–26 were drastically reduced to low levels, including zero and negative marks.According to the plea, this allows candidates with no demonstrable merit to become eligible for postgraduate medical admissions.The plea contends that while the decision has been justified on the ground of filling vacant seats, it undermines merit, reduces a competitive examination to a mere administrative exercise.It was further submitted that the reduction of minimum qualifying standards in postgraduate medical education is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14 (right to equality and against arbitrariness and discrimination) and 21 (right to life) of the Constitution.The plea added that there is no provision under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (NMC Act), empowering the dilution of minimum professional eligibility standards for entry into the highly skilled medical profession.The plea says that the reduction abolishes merit at the apex level of medical education, institutionalises sub-standard competence, and poses a direct and foreseeable threat to patient safety and public health.The petitioners also submitted that medicine is a life-critical profession and that allowing candidates with zero or negative performance into specialist training risks patient safety and violates Article 21.The plea seeks the quashing of the NBEMS notification and the restoration of constitutionally permissible minimum standards..The petitioners are being represented by Senior Advocate Sonia Mathur, along with Advocates Satyam Singh Rajput and Adarsh Singh, and AoR Neema..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.