11.21 lakh candidates qualified
Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court recently refused to direct Centre to lower the minimum qualifying marks for NEET-UG 2026, holding that the power to relax the threshold is discretionary and can be exercised only when the condition prescribed under the examination rules is met. A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Rajnish Vyas dismissed a petition filed by two NEET-2026 candidates challenging Centre’s Aug 20 communication rejecting their request to recalculate or relax the qualifying marks. The petitioners argued that out of the 22.79 lakh registered candidates, 22.05 lakh had appeared for the original NEET-UG examination on May 3, which was subsequently cancelled.
Because fewer candidates appeared, they said absenteeism was 3.27% during the May exam, which rose to 12.27% in the re-examination on June 21, increasing the percentile.
Referring to Supreme Court precedent, they said it requires a legal right and a corresponding legal duty that has not been performed. The court, however, noted that the proviso governing relaxation permits Central govt, in consultation with the relevant medical and other regulatory bodies, to lower the minimum marks only when a sufficient number of candidates in the respective category fail to secure the prescribed minimum marks. The judges also rejected the argument that the petitioners had an enforceable right to have the qualifying marks reduced.