NEET-PG cut-off reduces sharply, Supreme Court seeks reply on PIL

The Supreme Court has issued a notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the reduction of the qualifying cut-off for the NEET-PG 2025–26 academic session, directing the Union government and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to file their responses within a week. The matter is scheduled to be taken up for further hearing on Friday.

The petition challenges an NBEMS notification dated January 13, 2026, which reportedly lowered the qualifying cut-off percentile for NEET-PG 2025–26 to unusually low levels, including zero and even negative percentiles.

The PIL has been filed by



social activist Harisharan Devgan along with doctors Saurav Kumar, Lakshya Mittal and Akash Soni.

The petitioners argue that the dilution of minimum eligibility standards for postgraduate medical education is arbitrary and unconstitutional, violating Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

They have warned that such a move could seriously compromise patient safety, public health and the integrity of the medical profession. The plea also contends that reducing merit standards at the postgraduate level runs contrary to established legal principles and the statutory mandate of the National Medical Commission (NMC).