Petition in SC seeks immediate halt to NEET-PG counselling

New Delhi: A petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court requesting a suspension of the ongoing NEET-PG counselling process for admissions, citing concerns over transparency in the NEET-PG 2024 examination.

The application was filed as part of an ongoing case challenging the examination’s conduct, with petitioners alleging that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is hastily moving forward with the counselling process, potentially undermining their rights. Despite the Supreme Court setting a hearing for November 19, the MCC released the counselling schedule on November 1, with deadlines for choice-filling and seat allotment set for November 17, 18, and 19.

The NEET-PG aspirants argue that changes, including the introduction of two shifts, a normalization method, and an altered tie-breaker rule announced just days before the exam, have unfairly impacted candidates. They contend that no clear regulations exist for the exam's conduct, enabling arbitrary changes to the NEET-PG information bulletin.

The petition also criticizes the National Board of Examinations (NBE) for not providing question papers, answer keys, or response sheets, which limits candidates' ability to review their performance. Unlike previous years, results published on August 23 did not include total scores or a breakdown of correctly and incorrectly attempted questions, leaving students with only a scorecard.

Advocate Parul Shukla, representing the petitioners, argued that the dual-shift approach deviates from NEET-PG’s tradition of a single-shift exam, which ensures uniformity and fairness. The plea emphasizes that NEET-PG’s ranking system directly impacts candidates’ specialization choices, where even minor score differences can affect access to preferred fields. Petitioners urge the court to address these issues for a transparent and fair examination system.

With IANS inputs