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

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a plea submitted by the United Doctors Front (UDF), which challenges the National Board of Examinations (NBE) decision to conduct the NEET PG 2025 examination in two shifts.

The petition calls for the exam to be held in a single, uniform session nationwide.

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

The plea, filed by advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, argues that conducting NEET PG in two shifts with different question papers results in unavoidable variations in difficulty levels, thereby subjecting candidates to unequal evaluation standards.

"This violates Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and the right to a 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".

The plea urged the Supreme Court to intervene and ensure that NEET PG 2025 is conducted in a single, uniform session. Additionally, it sought an interim stay on the examination scheduled for June 15.

Regarding NEET PG 2024, which was also held in two shifts, multiple petitions were previously filed before the Supreme Court, raising concerns over the lack of transparency in the examination process.

“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.

(inputs from IANS)