The Supreme Court today issued notice on a public interest litigation questioning the reduction of qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025-26, as reported by the Live Law.A Bench comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe scheduled the matter for hearing on February 6, 2026, according to details recorded by the Live Law.Challenge to reduced qualifying standardsThe petition assails a notice issued by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences lowering the cut-off percentiles for postgraduate medical admissions, described as “abnormally low levels” including zero and negative, the Live Law reported.According to the plea, the decision to reduce qualifying standards for postgraduate medical education is arbitrary and infringes Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, as noted in the petition cited by the Live Law.Concerns regarding patient safety and meritThe petitioners argued that reducing the cut-off affects patient safety, public health, and the medical profession, which was noted by the Live Law in its report.It was further argued that the move, undertaken primarily to fill vacant seats, abolishes merit as a criterion and converts a competitive examination into an administrative formality, as quoted by the Live Law.Statutory framework and constitutional issuesThe plea emphasised that medicine directly implicates human life, bodily integrity and dignity, and that institutionalising dilution of professional standards in such a field is impermissible, the Live Law reported.The petitioners also contended that dilution of merit at the postgraduate level runs contrary to the statutory mandate of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, according to the Live Law.The Supreme Court has called for responses from the concerned authorities, and the issue will be taken up on the fixed date, with further dates to follow, as mentioned in the cause list referred to in the Live Law report.Background of NEET-PG examinationNEET-PG is administered by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences for admission to postgraduate medical programs in India, and the cut-off percentile for eligibility for counseling has been explained in background notes referred to in the Live Law report.The issue before the Court is the legality of the lowered cut-offs and their compatibility with the existing law, and notices issued by the Court call for the respondents to put their stand on record, as per procedural details mentioned in the Live Law report before the next hearing on the issue listed before the Bench for consideration thereafter soon.
