New Delhi | June 13, 2025
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking the publication of the final answer key of NEET-UG 2025 before the results are declared, stating that the matter does not warrant direct intervention under Article 32 of the Constitution.
A Bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan dismissed the petition after observing that such demands, if entertained at the apex level, would result in “lakhs of similar cases” and significantly delay the examination cycle and admission process.
❝ If We Do This, There Will Be Lakhs of Petitions ❞
The Court was hearing a petition filed by Najiya Nasre, a NEET-UG aspirant, who challenged the NTA’s current practice of releasing the final answer key only after the result is announced. She alleged that errors in the provisional answer key affected her performance and sought a direction to publish the corrected final key in advance, allowing students a fair opportunity to challenge discrepancies before their marks are released.
However, the Court firmly stated that such procedural matters should be first addressed before the appropriate High Courts, not directly in the Supreme Court.
“Why didn’t you approach the High Court first? There will be lakhs of cases if this is allowed,” remarked Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra.
Justice Manmohan added that aggrieved candidates always have legal options after results are declared, and changing the sequence of events would create more confusion than resolution.
Petition Withdrawn, Door Open to High Courts
Upon the Court’s suggestion, the petitioner withdrew the petition with liberty to file it before a competent High Court. The Supreme Court, in doing so, refrained from passing any direction to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam for undergraduate medical admissions.
The Court emphasized that while the concern of the candidate was genuine, the volume of aspirants (over 22 lakh students) makes it practically impossible for courts to intervene at the pre-result stage without large-scale disruption.
NTA follows a policy of issuing the final answer key just before publishing results, to ensure all valid objections are considered during evaluation.
Key Legal Points
• Article 32 was invoked, alleging violation of Article 14 (Right to Equality) due to erroneous provisional answers.
• Supreme Court ruled no constitutional violation apparent at this stage.
• Students can still seek judicial review after result declaration if they identify evaluation errors.
