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Key Points

The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a critical petition challenging the National Board of Examinations' decision to conduct NEET PG 2025 in two separate shifts. The United Doctors Front argues that the two-shift model violates constitutional guarantees of equality and fair opportunity for medical postgraduate candidates. Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan have sought responses from the Centre, NBE, and National Medical Commission, highlighting the significance of the case. The petition specifically contests the exam's normalization process and potential disparities in examination difficulty across different shifts.

Key Points: Supreme Court Challenges NEET PG 2025 Two-Shift Exam Model

  • Supreme Court issues notice on NEET PG 2025 two-shift exam controversy
  • Petition challenges constitutional fairness of exam pattern
  • UDF demands single uniform examination session nationwide
  • Multiple legal concerns raised about exam normalization process
2 min read

SC issues notice on plea against two-shift NEET PG 2025 exam

SC seeks Centre's response on UDF plea challenging NEET PG 2025 two-shift exam, citing constitutional rights violation

"The right to pursue postgraduate medical education is part of the right to livelihood and dignity - UDF Petition"

New Delhi, May 5

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF) challenging the National Board of Examinations (NBE) decision to conduct the NEET PG 2025 examination in two shifts.

The petition demands that the examination be conducted in a single and uniform session across the country.

Issuing notice, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan sought responses from the Centre, NBE and NMC (National Medical Commission), and posted the matter next week for further hearing.

The plea, filed through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, said the conduct of NEET PG in two shifts with different question papers leads to inevitable variation in difficulty levels, thereby subjecting candidates to unequal standards of evaluation.

"This violates Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and the right to fair opportunity," it said.

The petition added that the statistical normalisation process adopted by NBE lacks transparency, public consultation, or expert scrutiny, and the normalisation formula operates on the "flawed presumption that difficulty levels across shifts and the ability of candidates are identical".

It sought the top court’s intervention to conduct NEET PG 2025 in a single and uniform session, apart from seeking an interim stay on the examination scheduled for June 15.

In relation to the NEET PG 2024, which was also conducted in two shifts, several petitions were filed before the Supreme Court challenging the lack of transparency in the conduct of the examination.

“The right to pursue postgraduate medical education is part of the right to livelihood and dignity under Article 21. The use of inconsistent and unverified methods undermines the selection process, resulting in the unjust denial of fair opportunity to deserving candidates," the petition said.

In relation to the NEET PG 2024, which was also conducted in two shifts, several petitions were filed before the Supreme Court challenging the lack of transparency in the conduct of the examination. NEET-PG aspirants had challenged the NBE's practice of not disclosing question papers, answer keys, or response sheets of candidates, apart from questioning the introduction of two shifts, the normalisation method, and the change in the tie-breaker criterion.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Finally some action on this issue! The two-shift system is clearly unfair. How can we expect equal evaluation when question papers have different difficulty levels? Kudos to UDF for taking this up. Our medical students deserve better. 🇮🇳
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Priya M.
As someone who gave NEET PG last year, I can confirm the normalization process is a complete black box. They don't even release question papers! How are we supposed to trust the system? SC should make NBE more transparent.
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Arjun S.
While I agree with the petition, conducting such a massive exam in single shift would be logistically challenging. Maybe they can make identical question papers for both shifts? There has to be a middle path.
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Sneha T.
The stress levels for medical students are already sky-high. Adding this uncertainty about fairness in evaluation makes it worse. Hope SC gives a clear verdict soon. Our future doctors deserve peace of mind! 🙏
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Vikram J.
This is not just about NEET PG - our entire education system needs reform. From school boards to competitive exams, we need more transparency and standardization. This case could set an important precedent.
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Neha P.
I disagree with the petition. Two shifts help accommodate more candidates and reduce logistical issues. The normalization process, if done properly, can account for difficulty variations. Instead of opposing shifts, we should demand better normalization methods.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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