Chhattisgarh High Court Allows Undertrial to Appear in NEET-2026 Under Police Custody

June 19, 2026 : The Chhattisgarh High Court has permitted a 21-year-old undertrial prisoner from Raipur to appear in the NEET-2026 examination scheduled for June 21, directing authorities to escort him to the examination centre under police custody instead of granting temporary bail.

The order was passed by Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha while hearing an urgent miscellaneous criminal application. The matter was taken up after the applicant’s counsel, Anukul Biswas, informed the court that the accused had been preparing for the national medical entrance examination and required immediate relief as the examination date was approaching.

The applicant, Kunal Tarunakar, is currently lodged in jail in connection with a case registered at Khamtarai Police Station in Raipur under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, relating to abetment of suicide. During the hearing, the State, represented by panel lawyer Palak Dwivedi, did not oppose arrangements being made for the applicant to take the examination, while also drawing attention to the allegations and material available in the case record.

After considering the circumstances, the High Court observed that the interests of justice would be better served by allowing the applicant to appear in the examination under police escort rather than releasing him on temporary bail. The court directed the authorities to take Tarunakar under proper police custody to the NEET-2026 examination centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Raipur, on June 21 and return him to jail immediately after the examination concludes.

The court further instructed the Superintendent of Police, Raipur, and the jail superintendent to make all necessary arrangements and ensure strict compliance with the order. It also directed the applicant’s counsel or family members to provide a copy of the admit card to the police and jail authorities well in advance.

Recognising the applicant’s educational aspirations, the High Court additionally ordered that relevant study materials be made available to him in jail, subject to applicable prison regulations, so that he can continue preparing for the examination.

The application was disposed of with these directions. Since the charge sheet has not yet been filed in the case, the matter has been directed to be listed again after three weeks. The Registrar (Judicial) was also instructed to immediately forward the order to the trial court, the Superintendent of Police, and the jail superintendent for compliance.