Legal Notice Challenges NEET-UG 2026 Cancellation; 'Don't Punish 25 Lakh For Others' Wrongs'

Last Updated:May 14, 2026, 15:16 IST

Mumbai-based judicial activist and advocate Faiyaz Alam Shaikh issued a legal notice to National Testing Agency (NTA), Ministry of Education and National Medical Commission (NMC)

The nationwide cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination has reached the legal arena, with Mumbai-based judicial activist and advocate Faiyaz Alam Shaikh issuing a legal notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Ministry of Education and the National Medical Commission (NMC), challenging the decision as “arbitrary, disproportionate and unconstitutional".

The notice, issued under Section 80 of the Civil Procedure Code, has been sent on behalf of nearly 25 lakh medical aspirants who appeared for the undergraduate entrance examination on May 3.

The legal challenge comes a day after the NTA announced the cancellation through a press release dated May 12, citing inputs related to alleged irregularities and malpractice. The notice, however, argues that the agency has failed to publicly disclose the actual scale of the breach — including the number of examination centres or candidates allegedly involved.

Advocate Shaikh has contended that cancelling the entire examination without distinguishing between tainted and untainted candidates amounts to “collective punishment" and violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and the right to life and personal liberty.

The notice further argues that the move is inconsistent with principles laid down by the Supreme Court in matters related to NEET 2024, where the court had observed that a systemic breach must be established before an entire examination process is scrapped.

Questioning the timing of the cancellation, the notice also claims that the NTA acted before the completion of any independent investigation — including a possible probe by central agencies — raising concerns over procedural fairness and transparency.

Among the key demands in the notice are the immediate withdrawal of the cancellation order, declaration of results for unaffected candidates, public disclosure of data related to alleged malpractice, and the creation of a Rs 10 crore relief fund for affected aspirants.

In a statement, Advocate Shaikh described the decision as a “betrayal of 25 lakh dreams", alleging that students from rural, economically weaker and marginalised backgrounds were being unfairly penalised for isolated instances of wrongdoing by others.

He has warned that if authorities fail to respond by May 20, a pro bono Public Interest Litigation will be filed in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on any proposed re-examination and broader reforms in the functioning of the NTA under judicial oversight.

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