SC Issues Notice to Govt of India, Slams Last-Minute Changes in NEET PG 2024 Exam

During the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud expressed strong disapproval of the last-minute changes to the exam pattern, stating, “You are playing with the life of students.

The Supreme Court of India today issued notices to both the Union of India and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) in response to a plea regarding irregularities in the conduct of the NEET PG 2024 exam. During the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud expressed strong disapproval of the last-minute changes to the exam pattern, stating, “You are playing with the life of students. This is very unusual. How can you change the pattern before 3 days of exams? Students will have a meltdown!”

The CJI highlighted the urgency of the matter, issuing notices to the NBEMS and the Union of India, and directed that the case be listed for hearing again in one week.

The petition, brought by 19 NEET PG candidates, challenges NBEMS on grounds of transparency issues, irregularities in the exam process, and the release of results. The candidates raised concerns over a potential paper leak, discrepancies in the normalization of scores, and the absence of official answer keys, which prevent students from assessing their performance accurately. Senior Advocate Vibha Makhija, representing the petitioners, argued that the lack of transparency, particularly regarding the normalization process, has led to confusion and anxiety among students.

This latest Supreme Court hearing follows a previous session on September 13, where the court issued an initial notice to NBEMS in light of these concerns.

Adding to the uncertainty is the delay in the NEET PG 2024 counselling schedule. Originally set to begin today, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has yet to confirm a date for the start of Round 1 counselling. In the meantime, the MCC has introduced provisions allowing candidates to change their nationality status to Non-Resident Indian (NRI) by September 17 and secure PwD certificates until September 25.

The ongoing legal dispute over NEET PG 2024 comes on the heels of an earlier Supreme Court ruling in August, where a petition seeking to postpone the exam was dismissed. At that time, the court had emphasized that postponing the exam would disrupt the academic futures of over two lakh students.

With the next hearing scheduled in a week, NEET PG candidates hope the court will resolve the discrepancies and ensure a transparent, fair process going forward.