NEET UG 2026: Delhi HC Restores PwBD Eligibility of 2 Candidates After Disability Assessment

The Delhi High Court has held that Medical Assessment Boards assessing candidates for MBBS admission cannot reduce or alter the disability percentage recorded in a valid Unique Disability Identity (UDID) card. The Court said the Boards must instead focus on assessing a candidate’s functional competency to determine whether they can complete the MBBS course and practise medicine. The ruling came while allowing two petitions filed by NEET-UG 2026 candidates whose disabilities were reassessed at lower percentages, resulting in their removal from the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category. The Court set aside the assessment and eligibility certificates and directed authorities to allow both candidates to participate in the third counselling round and mop-up round, if held, under the PwBD category, reports Shillong Times.

The Court observed that the 2026 guidelines recognise the UDID card as the primary documentary evidence of the existence, nature and extent of a specified disability. It held that Medical Assessment Boards are not empowered to revisit the disability percentage recorded in the card. If authorities dispute the certification, they must challenge it through the appellate mechanism under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, rather than altering it during admission assessment. Referring to a previous Supreme Court judgment, the Court reiterated that disability boards must focus on functional competence rather than merely quantifying disability. It also declined to create supernumerary seats, noting that the first two counselling rounds had concluded, but remaining counselling rounds could still accommodate the candidates.