The Supreme Court on November 29, 2018, passed an interim order allowing candidates of 25-years of age and above to apply for and appear in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2019).

A Bench comprising of JusticesS.A. Bobde, L. Nageswara Rao, and R. Subhash Reddy, however, said that the candidates “shall take the examination provisionally, subject to the final outcome of these matters.”

The Bench was hearing a batch of Special Leave Petitions filed against a Delhi High Court judgment in which the court had dismissed the challenge against the 25-year age limit fixed by the NEET Regulation for candidates appearing for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and seeking admission to the programme.

“The petitioners/candidates who are 25 years of age and above shall be entitled to apply and appear in the NEET-UG 2019 examination. If they are allowed to appear in the said examination, they shall take the examination provisionally subject to the final outcome of these matters,” the order reads.

The Bench directed that the portal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) shall remain open for one more week to enable such petitioners/candidates to apply for the NEET-UG 2019 examination.

Further, the Bench impleaded NTA as a respondent in the main matter. It is expected to file its reply affidavit within four weeks.

The case will now be listed for hearing in January 2019.