The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Union government and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the sharp reduction in the qualifying cut-off for the NEET-PG 2025–26 academic session. The court has directed the authorities to file their replies within a week and listed the matter for further hearing on Friday.
The PIL questions an NBEMS notification issued on January 13, 2026, which reportedly lowered the qualifying percentile for NEET-PG to unusually low levels, including zero and negative percentiles, to address vacant postgraduate medical seats.
The petition has been filed by social activist Harisharan Devgan along with doctors Saurav Kumar, Lakshya Mittal and Akash Soni.
Challenge to minimum eligibility standards
The petitioners have argued that the drastic dilution of minimum eligibility criteria for postgraduate medical education is arbitrary and unconstitutional, violating Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. They contend that lowering merit standards at the postgraduate level undermines both academic rigour and patient safety.
According to the plea, postgraduate medical students are directly involved in clinical decision-making, surgical procedures and patient care. Any compromise in entry-level standards, it argues, could have long-term consequences for public health and the credibility of the medical profession.
The petition also states
