NEET-UG 2026 OMR Row: Candidate Claims Score Changed From 520 to 85, Punjab HC Seeks Original Answer Sheet

 

The NEET-UG 2026 examination has come under fresh scrutiny after a candidate approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging discrepancies in her OMR answer sheet and scorecards, claiming that her marks were changed from 520 to 85 out of 720.

The petition has been filed by Diksha Devi, who appeared for the NEET-UG re-examination conducted on June 21. The re-examination was held for candidates affected by an earlier paper-leak controversy surrounding the medical entrance examination.

The latest dispute concerns the alleged alteration of the candidate's OMR sheet and results. During the hearing before a Bench comprising Justice Suvir Sehgal and Justice Deepinder Singh Nalwa, Devi's counsel alleged that two different scorecards had been uploaded on the National Testing Agency (NTA) website.

According to the petitioner's counsel, one scorecard showed a score of 85 marks out of 720, while an earlier scorecard reflected 520 marks. The counsel further alleged that the NTA had changed the candidate's OMR sheet.

The NTA, represented by counsel Arun Gosain, told the court that the representation submitted by the candidate had already been decided. He also placed before the court a copy of an email dated July 27 related to the matter.

After considering the submissions from both sides, the High Court directed that the original examination records be produced before it.

“Let the original OMR sheet, as well as the score cards, be produced before this court in a sealed cover,” the Bench ordered.

The court scheduled the matter for further hearing on August 14.

What did the candidate allege?

According to Devi's petition, the NTA uploaded her OMR answer sheet on its website on July 13, along with the correction window. She said she compared the responses recorded on the OMR sheet with the official answer key and calculated her score as 520 out of 720.

However, when the NEET result was declared on July 16, her score was displayed as only 85 marks.

The candidate subsequently received another OMR sheet from the NTA on July 17. She claimed that although the personal details on both OMR sheets were identical, the answers marked on them were different.

According to her, the responses shown on the second OMR sheet corresponded to a score of 85 marks.

The candidate then raised a grievance with the NTA. On July 19, she allegedly received an email from the agency mentioning her score as 520 out of 720. The accompanying marksheet also reportedly reflected 520 marks.

Devi and her family subsequently visited the NTA office on July 20 and submitted a written complaint regarding the discrepancies.

The petition stated that her result was subsequently changed back to 520 marks, but on July 27, it was again shown as 85 marks.

The High Court's decision to seek the original OMR sheet and scorecards in a sealed cover could provide clarity on the conflicting records and determine whether there was an error or irregularity in the candidate's evaluation.

The case will now be closely watched as the court examines the original examination records.