NEET Paper Leak: Bombay HC Orders NTA To Declare Re-NEET Result Of CBI Witness

On August 25, the Bombay High Court issued an interim order directing the National Testing Agency (NTA) to reveal the Re-NEET-UG 2026 results of a medical aspirant, who has been identified as a witness rather than an accused in the CBI’s investigation into the alleged NEET paper leak. The bench comprised Justices Riyaz Chagla and Firdosh Pooniwalla.

The court reasoned that withholding this result would prevent the petitioner from partaking in the ongoing Centralized Admission Process (CAP) for MBBS and BDS courses in Maharashtra. The original petition was filed by the aspirant through advocate Pooja Thorat.

The CBI submitted its charge sheet on July 20, naming the petitioner as a witness and not an accused. The CBI contended that the petitioner was a direct beneficiary of the leaked papers and asked for extra time to file a counter-affidavit. The court noted that this assertion would be determined in the proceedings initiated by the CBI.

It further emphasized that the investigating agency had not categorized the petitioner as an accused and had only referred to him as a witness. The bench reiterated that it would not render any judgment on the petitioner's role in the NEET 2026 examination, thereby ensuring that the interim relief would not impede the CBI investigation.

Moreover, the court took into account the urgency caused by the revised CAP-1 schedule. The admission process had begun on August 19, with the final merit list and enrollment processes set to follow shortly. Consequently, the bench ordered NTA to declare the petitioner's Re-NEET result by August 27. If the petitioner meets the necessary qualifying marks, he would be allowed to participate in CAP-1 for MBBS/BDS courses by registering offline and adhering to the relevant schedule.

The interim order is contingent on the ultimate outcome of the petition and will not confer any rights upon the petitioner. The matter will be revisited on September 11.