Utagi was among only 13 female candidates across the country to be declared a state or Union Territory topper, marking a significant achievement for Goa.
Nationally, over 11.21 lakh candidates qualified in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, which was conducted on June 21 after the original examination was cancelled following alleged paper leak allegations. Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the re-examination.
Women accounted for over 58% of all qualified candidates and also recorded a higher qualification rate than men. Around 56.8% of female candidates who appeared cleared the examination, compared to 55.1% of male candidates.
Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal from Haryana emerged as the national toppers, securing 715 out of 720 marks in the re-examination.
The 2026 NEET cycle was overshadowed by controversy after the original examination was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak. During the 37 to 46 days following the cancellation, between 12 and 14 NEET aspirants across the country reportedly died by suicide, with cases reported from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Goa.
