The student (petitioner), appeared in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG), 2026 re-examination conducted by the National Testing Agency, on June 21, 2026. (AI-generated image)The Kerala High Court has dismissed a student’s plea seeking direction to the National Testing Agency (NTA) to allow challenges to the NEET UG final answer key before declaring the results, holding that the court has a limited role over academic subject experts’ decisions.Justice Muralee Krishna S observed that in the public notice issued by NTA on June 25, 2026, it specifically provided that no further challenge could be accepted after the final answer key is published. “This court, in exercise of the extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, cannot sit in appeal over the decision of the subject experts on the challenge raised by the candidates against the provisional answer key,” the July 16 order said.The order added, “The constitutional courts have a very limited role in a challenge made against the answer key, particularly when no case of mala fides has been alleged against the subject experts, who considered the challenge raised by the candidates against the provisional answer key.” The petitioner, a 19-year-old who appeared in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 21, 2026, filed an appeal challenging the single judge’s order dated July 7, 2026 that rejected her plea, stating that the court cannot interfere in academic matters. Justice Muralee Krishna S rejected a student’s plea seeking direction to NTA to provide opportunity to candidates to challenge the NEET-UG answer key before result.Teenager’s challenge to NEET questionsThe petitioner had sought directions to the NTA to place her challenge regarding six questions of the Test Booklet, along with supporting documents submitted through email on June 28, 2026, before the subject expert committee before finalising the answer key.She also sought directions to publish the final answer key three days before the result declaration and preserve server logs related to her portal session during the submission of objections.Story continues below this adThe counsel for the teenager contended that the single judge committed a grave error, while declining the reliefs sought for in the petition regarding the publication of the final answer key of NEET (UG) examinations, at least three days before the declaration of results, to enable the candidates to raise a challenge against the final answer key.Senior counsel Nirmal S for NTA opposed the plea, stating that the single judge had held that the answer key is prepared after review by subject experts and the court cannot interfere in academic matters.‘Plea dismissed’The court observed that once the final key of the NEET-UG examination was published, no further objection can be raised as per NTA’s public notice dated June 25, 2026. It also stated that the conduct of an examination, being in the realm of an academic exercise, the scope of challenge in a petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India was limited. The court said it cannot act as an appellate authority over the decisions of subject experts or direct the NTA to provide an opportunity to the candidates to challenge the final answer key before the declaration of results. The court, therefore, found no merit in the appeal and dismissed it.Somya Panwar is a legal journalist at The Indian Express (Digital), where she covers the various High Courts across the country and the Supreme Court of India. Her writing is driven by a deep interest in how law influences society, particularly in areas of gender, feminism, and women’s rights. She is especially drawn to stories that examine questions of equality, autonomy, and social justice through the lens of the courts. Her work aims to make complex legal developments accessible, contextual, and relevant to everyday readers, with a focus on explaining what court decisions mean beyond legal jargon and how they shape public life. Alongside reporting, she manages the social media presence for Indian Express Legal, where she designs and curates posts using her understanding of digital trends, audience behaviour, and visual communication. Combining legal insight with strategic content design, she works on building engagement and expanding the desk’s digital reach. Somya holds a B.A. LL.B and a Master’s degree in Journalism. Before moving fully into media, she gained experience in litigation and briefly worked in corporate, giving her reporting a strong foundation. ... Read More Tags:National Testing AgencyNEET