THE National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has told the Supreme Court that it had no role whatsoever in the decision to reduce the qualifying cut-off percentile for NEET-PG 2025–26, adding that its function is strictly limited to conducting the examination and publishing results as per directions issued by the competent authorities. In a short reply sworn by NBEMS Law Officer Mohd. Sameen, it was stated that the petition challenging the January 13 notification issued by the NBEMS -- which reduced the qualifying cut-off percentiles for postgraduate medical admissions to abnormally low, zero, and even negative levels after the declaration of results and completion of two rounds of counselling -- is “not maintainable and deserves to be rejected”.

 

“The answering Respondent respectfully submits that the role of NBEMS is strictly limited to conducting the NEET PG examination in a fair and transparent manner, evaluating answers, and handing over the final results to the concerned Counselling Authority, namely the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC),” the affidavit stated. It clarified that it had “no role whatsoever in the decision regarding reduction of the qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2025” and that the decision “falls exclusively within the domain” of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the National Medical Commission (NMC).

 

According to the affidavit, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, through a communication dated January 9, informed it that the qualifying percentile cut-off for the third round of NEET-PG 2025–26 counselling had been reduced and directed it to publish revised results accordingly. “In compliance with the aforesaid direction, the answering Respondent published the Impugned Notice dated 13.01.2026 notifying the revised cut-off scores for NEET PG 2025,” the reply said, adding that the revised results were forwarded to the MCC on the same day. The minimum qualifying percentile for Unreserved (UR) candidates was reduced to the 7th percentile (cut-off score 103 out of 800), for UR-PwD candidates to the 5th percentile (90 marks).