Bombay High Court Seeks Original OMR Sheets from NTA in NEET UG 2026 Dispute; Hearing on July 30

The Bombay High Court has issued an urgent order about the NEET UG 2026 exam.

The Bombay High Court has issued an urgent order about the NEET UG 2026 exam. It has told the National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide the original Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets after three students said there were big differences between the marks they calculated and those they were given.

The court in Aurangabad is looking at three petitions. The bench has Justice Nitin Suryawanshi and Justice Abasaheb Shinde. The next hearing is set for July 30, 2026, and it's an urgent case. The NEET UG 2026 results were announced on July 16, 2026. NTA is responsible for conducting NEET UG for admission into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other medical courses throughout India.

Who Are the Petitioners and What Are They Claiming?

Three students who took NEET UG 2026 have filed a joint petition with the Bombay High Court.

They are:

1. Hricha Deshpande
2. Soham Gavate
3. Atharva Jagtap

Each of them said there was a big difference between the marks they calculated and the scores that were given.

• Hricha Deshpande said she got 619 marks based on her OMR sheet, but her final result showed only 280 marks.
• She also mentioned that the result had fewer questions attempted in Physics and Chemistry.
• Soham Gavate claimed a bigger gap.
• He said he was awarded only 95 marks, while he calculated 522 marks.
• His case deals with the re-examination that took place on June 21, 2026, for some students.
• All three petitioners received new OMR sheets via email after July 15, 2026.
• They said these sheets were different from the ones they had previously seen on the NTA candidate portal.

How Has NTA Reacted to the OMR Issue?

1. NTA published an official statement on July 20, 2026, on its website, nta.ac.in.
2. It said that the OMR sheets that were shared online were digitally changed and called them fake content.
3. NTA also said that the real OMR sheets of all candidates are kept in their official records.

These sheets were shared through the candidate portal and the registered email addresses of the candidates during the official challenge period before the results were declared.

What Does This Mean for NEET UG 2026 Counselling?

1. NEET UG 2026 counselling will start based on the results that were declared.
2. One of the petitioners is worried about counselling happening based on the disputed marks.
3. The hearing on July 30, 2026, could determine the next steps in the admission and counselling process.
4. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) organizes counselling for All India Quota seats, while state counselling authorities handle state quota seats.
5. Any decision made by the court could change the timeline for either or both of these counselling processes.

How Can Candidates Check Their OMR Sheets?

NTA has emphasized that only the OMR sheet available through the official candidate portal and registered email is considered genuine. Candidates should only raise any questions or issues directly with NTA through official communication channels.

Candidates can follow these steps to check their NEET UG 2026 OMR sheet:

1. Log in to the official NEET UG website at neet.nta.nic.in using your login details.
2. Find the OMR sheet in the candidate dashboard.
3. Compare it with the one you received through your registered email.
4. Check each of your answers against the final answer key released by NTA.
5. Report any differences through the official grievance channel of NTA.

Source: (NTA: X Previously Known as twitter)

What Should Candidates Do Next?

1. Check your OMR sheet on the NTA portal at neet.nta.nic.in as soon as possible.
2. Save the OMR sheet that was sent to you via email during the challenge period.
3. Compare all your answers with the final answer key for NEET UG 2026.
4. Watch the nta.ac.in website for any updates related to the hearing.
5. Only raise any concerns through the official NTA grievance channel.