Delhi High Court rules UDID cards supreme for NEET-UG disability benefits

The Delhi High Court has ruled that a valid Unique Disability ID (UDID) card takes precedence in determining a candidate’s eligibility for disability benefits under the PwBD category in NEET-UG admissions. The court held that Medical Assessment Boards do not have the authority to reduce or reassess the percentage of disability recorded on a UDID card when evaluating eligibility for MBBS courses.

The ruling follows petitions from candidates who participated in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, which was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) after the original May 3 exam was impacted by alleged paper leaks and irregularities investigated by the CBI.

One petitioner, Shivam Kumar, held a government-issued UDID card recording a 60 per cent permanent visual disability. Despite this, a Medical Assessment Board at Lady Hardinge Medical College reassessed his disability at 30 per cent, leading to his removal from the PwBD category and shifting him to the General category during the counseling process.