Key Points
- PIL filed against the reduced cutoff percentile for admission to Postgraduate Medical courses
- PIL hearing on February 6, 2026
- Petitions flag decision of NBEMS to reduce the cutoffs to fill up vacant seats
The Supreme Court of India today issued a notice regarding the Public Interest Litigation filed in court challenging the decision of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to reduce the qualifying cutoff percentile for admissions to NEET PG courses in the 2025-26 academic year. The PIL has been filed through AoR Neema, with the assistance of Advocates Satyam Singh Rajput and Adarsh Singh.
According to reports, the petition filed points out the notice issued on January 13 by the NBEMS reducing the qualifying cutoff percentile. Petitioners have argued that the lowering of the cutoff percentile includes zero and negative percentiles. Petitioners have also stated that the reduction of qualifying standards for PG medical admissions is a violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The PIL states that lowering the cutoff compromises patient safety, public health and the integrity of the medical profession. The petition further argues that the decision is only taken to fill vacant seats and abolishes merit as a criterion for admission, reducing competitive exams to a mere administrative formality. Petitioners further add that medicine directly implicates human life, bodily integrity and dignity, and gradually weakening professional standards in such a field is not acceptable. The petitioners also argue that lowering merit at the postgraduate level goes against the requirements of the NMC Act, 2019
As per reports, the apex court bench comprising of Justicce Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe will be hearing the matter on Friday, February 6, 2026.

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