The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to produce the original OMR answer sheets of three NEET UG 2026 candidates who allege significant discrepancies between the marks they calculated using their OMR sheets and the official answer key, and the marks actually awarded to them in the final result. A Division Bench of Justice Nitin Suryawanshi and Justice Abasaheb Shinde issued notices to the Union Government and the NTA on July 23, 2026, on separate writ petitions filed by Hricha Deshpande, Soham Gavate, and Atharva Jagtap, and listed the matters in the urgent category.

What the Petitioners Are Alleging

NEET UG 2026 results were declared on July 16, 2026. According to the petitions, all three candidates found a wide gap between the score they expected based on their own OMR sheets and the official answer key, and the score they actually received. Deshpande's petition, filed as Hricha Prafull Deshpande vs Union of India, states that the OMR sheet displayed on the NTA portal appeared to correspond to responses that should have earned her a score of around 619 marks, a figure far higher than what she was ultimately awarded. The petition further states that the NTA finalised her result without responding to a grievance she had already raised, in which she alleged that the OMR sheet emailed to her differed from the one uploaded on the portal and did not match the answers she recalled marking. Gavate and Jagtap have raised similar allegations of mismatched OMR records in their respective petitions.

The Court's Order

The Bench has directed the NTA to produce the petitioners' original answer sheets at the next hearing, scheduled for July 30, 2026. Advocate Amit Yadkikar appeared for Deshpande, Advocate J Salunke Sudarshan appeared for Gavate, and Advocate Rohit Sarvadnya represented the NTA before the court. The order effectively requires the agency to physically produce the source documents rather than rely solely on the digital OMR images already available to candidates on the NTA portal, which the petitioners say do not match what they marked during the exam.

Respondents are directed to produce the petitioners' answer sheets on the next date. List the matters in the urgent category.— Bombay High Court, Aurangabad Bench order, July 23, 2026

NTA's Position

Ahead of the court's order, the NTA had already issued a clarification on social media addressing OMR-related claims circulating about NEET (UG) 2026, stating that the genuine OMR record of every candidate concerned remains on file with the agency. The NTA is expected to formally respond to the specific allegations raised by the three petitioners once the matter is taken up again on July 30.

Not an Isolated Complaint

This is not the only OMR-related grievance to surface from the Aurangabad region this cycle. A separate candidate from Maharashtra's Beed district, who appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 examination, has separately approached the Bombay High Court alleging that the NTA awarded him just 95 marks against a score of roughly 522 he had calculated from his own OMR sheet and the official answer key. The candidate stated he had sought clarification from the NTA over email but received no response before approaching the court. Disputes over OMR discrepancies are not new to NEET counselling cycles either; petitioners in earlier years have raised similar concerns before the Delhi High Court and the Allahabad High Court, though each case has turned on its own specific facts and evidence.

Why OMR Discrepancy Claims Matter for NEET Counselling

NEET (UG) determines admission to MBBS, BDS, and other undergraduate medical courses across the country, and even small changes to a candidate's score can shift their eligibility for a government medical seat by a wide margin. Because counselling proceeds on a strict merit-and-category basis, any confirmed correction arising from this case could, in principle, affect the ranks of candidates immediately above or below the petitioners in the merit list, which is one reason the court has treated the matter as urgent.

Key Highlights at a Glance

  • Bombay High Court's Aurangabad Bench issued notices to the Centre and NTA on July 23, 2026
  • Petitioners: Hricha Deshpande, Soham Gavate, and Atharva Jagtap, all alleging NEET UG 2026 score discrepancies
  • NTA directed to produce petitioners' original OMR answer sheets at the next hearing
  • Next hearing date: July 30, 2026
  • NEET UG 2026 results were declared on July 16, 2026
  • NTA has stated that the genuine OMR record of every candidate is on file with the agency

What NEET UG 2026 Candidates Should Do Now

Candidates who suspect a genuine mismatch between their own recollection of the exam, their OMR sheet, and their final NEET UG 2026 score should raise the issue directly with the NTA through its official grievance channels rather than relying on unverified claims on social media. Candidates who are otherwise proceeding with counselling can check their likely admission range using the CaderaEdu NEET UG College Predictor or the dedicated Medical College Predictor, both of which factor in category-wise rank ranges. Those already thinking ahead to postgraduate admissions can also explore the NEET PG Predictor for a longer-term view.

For candidates researching institutes ahead of counselling, CaderaEdu's individual profiles such as AIIMS New Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur cover seat intake, fee structure, and admission routes, while the wider College Predictor suite and full list of entrance exams are useful for comparing options across streams. Candidates who would like personalised guidance while this case is pending can also book a free counselling session with CaderaEdu.

Where to Verify the Case Directly

Readers who want to track the case status themselves can do so through the official eCourts case status portal for the Bombay High Court, or through the court's own website at bombayhighcourt.gov.in. Official communication from the examination body will be published on the NTA's official website and the dedicated NEET (UG) portal, while broader policy updates from the government can be tracked on the Ministry of Education's official website.

For now, the case remains at an early stage: the court has sought the original records rather than ruled on the merits of the allegations, and the NTA is yet to file a formal response. The July 30 hearing, where the agency has been directed to produce the disputed OMR sheets, will be the first real test of whether the discrepancies alleged by the three petitioners hold up against the agency's own records.