Inadvertent math mistake shouldn’t prove costly to student: Gujarat HC restores MBBS grad’s NEET-PG eligibility

In a relief to aspiring medical students, Gujarat High Court has quashed the disqualification of an MBBS graduate from the NEET-PG 2025 admission process over an alleged mathematical mistake in the application form, in calculating aggregate percentage.

A single-judge bench, directed the Admission Committee for Professional Post-graduate Medical Courses (ACPMC) and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to permit the petitioner Mubeen Ali Umatia to correct the aggregate percentage of marks obtained in the MBBS course as 57.33 instead of 58.28 and such correction shall be given effect in all the records maintained by both the respondents.

The court observed that "nothing has been brought on record to indicate that the petitioner has indulged in any malpractice, attempted to suppress any information or filed the petition with an intent to misrepresent his case.

“Since the admission process has not yet commenced and the petitioner has approached this court before its initiation, the petitioner’s case deserves to be considered sympathetically.”

“When a student is seeking admission to a postgraduate medical course, such an inadvertent mathematical mistake should not prove costly to the student, and such a minor error should not be allowed to jeopardise a person’s career", the court said.

The petitioner shall be permitted to participate in the admission process for the PG medical course. The respondents’ order or action in not permitting the petitioner to participate in the PG medical course selection process is hereby quashed and set aside.

Advocate appearing for the petitioner submitted that an inadvertent mathematical error, not intended to commit any malpractice or to misrepresent the petitioner’s case, nor was it aimed at any suppression. The petitioner is a meritorious candidate and there is every possibility that, if permitted to participate in the NEET-PG admission process, he may secure admission in the branch of his choice. Hence for such a small mathematical error, this court may not allow the rules to ruin the career of the petitioner.

Additional advocate general appearing on behalf of both the respondent argued that ACPMC is only conducting the admission process and has no role in framing the rules. It is not empowered to correct any mistake, as the guidelines are framed by NBEMS which only oversees the admission process. 

It was further contended that even if the petitioner is allowed to participate, at the stage of cross-verification, the petitioner’s actual percentage compared with the percentage stated in the application form would result in a mismatch in the software. 

Consequently, there is every likelihood that the petitioner would again be denied admission on the ground that the marks actually obtained in MBBS do not match the marks entered in the application form. Hence this court may dismiss the petition.