NEET 2026 discrepancy row: NTA calls viral OMR sheets digitally manipulated, says results are accurate

New Delhi: Responding to widespread allegations regarding discrepancies in the OMR sheets of certain candidates who appeared for the NEET 2026 re-exam and whose sheets were being circulated on social media, the National Testing Agency (NTA) issued a clarification stating the sheets are digitally manipulated documents, that the results declared are accurate, and the genuine OMR of every candidate concerned is on record with NTA.

In a statement issued on July 20, 2026, the agency said that it received complaints about images of OMR answer sheets, said to be the "correct" record of certain candidates who appeared in NEET (UG) 2026, being circulated on social media in support of claims that the results declared against those candidates are wrong.

On this, the agency clarified that the genuine OMR answer sheet of every candidate concerned, bearing the correct Roll Number, Test Booklet Number, Answer Sheet barcode and serial, Test Booklet Code, and the candidate's own name and parentage in the candidate's own hand, together with the signatures and thumb impression of the candidate and the two invigilators, is on record with NTA. It was made available to the candidate at the registered e-mail address and on the candidate portal.

The NTA further stated that the scores declared for all such candidates are fully consistent with the original OMR answer sheets, the official NEET (UG) 2026 answer key, and the calculation sheets maintained by the agency. It asserted that there has been no evaluation error in these cases.

Rejecting the authenticity of the images circulating online, the agency said, "The images being circulated as the "correct" OMR are not documents issued by NTA. They are digitally manipulated versions of the candidates' own genuine OMR answer sheets. The alterations observed in the cases examined range from the introduction of additional response markings to the alteration of names and of the authenticated signature time of an invigilator, amongst others. The creation, submission or circulation of a fabricated, digitally altered or otherwise forged OMR answer sheet is a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and separately attracts liability under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000."

NTA advised candidates with genuine grievances regarding their NEET (UG) 2026 results to follow the grievance redressal process outlined in the NTA's Public Notice dated July 20, 2026, available on its official website.

The results for the national medical entrance examination were announced on July 16, with 11.21 lakh candidates qualifying the test. Shortly after the results were released, some candidates and parents alleged mismatches between their expected marks, recorded responses, and final scores.

This year, nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the examination, which was conducted at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Out of them, 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other allied undergraduate medical programmes.

A total of 138 candidates scored above 690 marks out of the maximum 720 marks. Of these, more than 93 per cent were appearing for NEET UG for the first time, and nearly 99 per cent belonged to the 17-19 age group.

The examination was conducted in 13 languages. Among the 138 candidates scoring 690 marks or above, 102 are male, and 36 are female. However, at the national level, women account for more than 58 per cent of the total 11.21 lakh candidates who qualified in NEET UG 2026.

The top 10 All India Rank (AIR) holders include Aryan Gupta of Punjab (AIR 1), Panshul Bansal of Haryana (AIR 2), Uplakshya Goyal of Rajasthan (AIR 3), Ayush Bhalotia of Bihar (AIR 4), Kudale Shravani Krishna of Maharashtra (AIR 5), Riya Ranjan of Bihar (AIR 6), Aryan Dubey of Uttar Pradesh (AIR 7), Geetansh Sarin of Punjab (AIR 8), Gaurav Singh of Rajasthan (AIR 9), and Mohanish Maruti Bhosale of Maharashtra (AIR 10).

Along with the official statement, the NTA responded to individual complaints on its official X handle, issuing clarifications for each allegation raised regarding the OMR answer sheets.

NTA warns of legal action against fake, AI-generated OMR sheets

On July 18, NTA issued an advisory to NEET-UG 2026 candidates and their parents, warning them not to submit fake or AI-generated OMR sheets when raising complaints about score discrepancies.

The warning was made after the NTA reviewed several complaints regarding differences between candidates’ expected and declared NEET 2026 scores.

During the verification process, the agency found that many Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets submitted with complaints appeared fake or created using artificial intelligence (AI).

"The NTA is closely monitoring and scrutinising all complaints. In the wake of many OMR sheets submitted for scrutiny turning out to be fake/AI-generated, students and parents are advised to submit only original OMR sheets for scrutiny. Any fake/AI-generated OMR sheet may invite legal action against the complainant," the agency said in the advisory, 

Also read- NEET 2026 re-exam results OUT: 11.21 lakh qualify, 138 candidates score above 690