NEET UG 2025: Calcutta HC seeks NTA reply on 370-mark discrepancy claim
Synopsis
A NEET UG candidate from Hooghly claims her declared score of 289 is nearly 370 marks lower than what her OMR sheet should have fetched — and the Calcutta High Court has now put the NTA on notice to explain the gap, even as medical counselling runs in parallel. The case crystallises the broader crisis of trust engulfing India's most consequential medical entrance exam.
Key Takeaways
Shreya Mohanty of Dankuni, Hooghly filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on 23 July alleging her NEET UG OMR sheet was manipulated.
She claims her correct score should be between 659 and 661 marks, but the NTA declared only 289 marks — a discrepancy of approximately 370 marks .
Justice Amrita Singh directed the NTA to respond urgently, citing ongoing medical counselling across the country.
Her lawyer Sabyasachi Chatterjee argued that a gap of this magnitude cannot be a machine error and alleged deliberate manipulation.
The next court hearing is set for Tuesday, 28 July .
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday, 23 July directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to respond urgently to a petition filed by a NEET UG candidate from Hooghly district, West Bengal, who alleged her OMR sheet was manipulated, resulting in a shortfall of approximately 370 marks in the final result. The case has been admitted amid a wider national controversy over alleged irregularities in the NEET UG examination held on 21 June 2025.
What the Petitioner Alleged
Shreya Mohanty, a candidate from Dankuni in Hooghly, told the court that the Answer Key published by the NTA against her serial number did not correspond to her Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet. She contended that her correct score should have been between 659 and 661 marks out of a total of 720, but the NTA's declared result showed only 289 marks — a gap of roughly 370 marks. She has sought re-verification of her OMR sheet and alleged corruption in the evaluation process.
Court's Observations and Next Steps
Justice Amrita Singh, who heard the matter, underscored the urgency of the case given that medical counselling is already underway across the country. The court directed the NTA to present its explanation without delay. The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, 28 July.
How the NEET Marking System Works
Under the NEET UG marking scheme, candidates earn four marks for each correct answer, lose one mark for every wrong answer, and receive zero for unattempted questions. Each candidate's OMR is evaluated by computer against the Answer Key tied to their specific serial number. Following earlier allegations of corruption, the NTA had shared scanned OMR copies with candidates via email — a step that Mohanty says enabled her to identify the discrepancy.
Legal Arguments
Mohanty's counsel, Sabyasachi Chatterjee, argued before the High Court that a discrepancy of approximately 370 marks cannot plausibly be attributed to machine error, given that OMR evaluation is automated. He alleged deliberate manipulation in the OMR verification process and urged the court to direct the NTA to account for the gap.
Broader Context
The petition comes amid sustained protests across India over alleged question paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET UG 2025 examination. This is one of several individual complaints that have reached the judiciary, adding to institutional pressure on the NTA to demonstrate the integrity of its evaluation process. With lakhs of medical aspirants' futures tied to the outcome, the court's scrutiny of even a single OMR discrepancy carries significant weight for the ongoing counselling cycle.
Point of View
And the court is right to demand an urgent explanation. What is striking is that the NTA's own decision to email OMR copies to candidates — a transparency measure born of earlier controversy — has now become the evidentiary basis for this challenge. If the agency cannot account for the discrepancy by 28 July, it will deepen the perception that the NEET UG 2025 result lacks integrity, with direct consequences for a counselling process that is already in motion for lakhs of aspirants.
NationPress
23 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Calcutta High Court NEET case about?
A NEET UG 2025 candidate, Shreya Mohanty from Hooghly, West Bengal, has petitioned the Calcutta High Court alleging that her OMR sheet was manipulated, resulting in a declared score of 289 marks against her claimed correct score of 659-661. The court has directed the NTA to respond urgently, with the next hearing on 28 July.
Who is Shreya Mohanty and what does she allege?
Shreya Mohanty is a NEET UG 2025 candidate from Dankuni in Hooghly district, West Bengal. She alleges that the Answer Key published by the NTA against her serial number did not match her OMR sheet, leading to a shortfall of approximately 370 marks in her declared result.
Why did the Calcutta High Court act urgently on this petition?
Justice Amrita Singh noted that medical counselling is already underway across the country, making the resolution of any marks discrepancy time-sensitive. The court directed the NTA to present its explanation without delay to avoid prejudicing Mohanty's admission prospects.
How does the NEET OMR evaluation process work?
Each candidate's OMR sheet is evaluated by computer against an Answer Key linked to their specific serial number. Correct answers fetch four marks, wrong answers carry a one-mark penalty, and unattempted questions score zero. The NTA publishes the Answer Key on its website and, following earlier controversy, also emailed scanned OMR copies to candidates.
What is the broader context of this petition?
The petition comes amid nationwide protests over alleged question paper leaks and irregularities in NEET UG 2025. It is one of several judicial challenges to the NTA's evaluation process and adds to institutional pressure on the agency as medical admissions counselling proceeds across India.
