Supreme Court Dismisses Petition to Postpone NEET-PG 2024 Examination Amid Logistical Challenges

The CJI underscored the challenges of organizing large-scale exams like NEET PG in a country as diverse as India, where such exams are essential despite the logistical hurdles they present.

In a decisive ruling today, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition seeking the postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examination, which is scheduled for August 11, 2024. The petition, filed by Vishal Soren, raised significant concerns about logistical issues related to the exam centre allocations.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) highlighted the court’s stance, stating, “As a matter of principle, we will not reschedule. Two lakh students and four lakh parents will suffer if we postpone. At the behest of just five petitioners, we cannot put the careers of two lakh students in jeopardy.” The CJI underscored the challenges of organizing large-scale exams in a country as diverse as India, where such exams are essential despite the logistical hurdles they present, reported Live Law.

The allocation of exam cities was announced on July 31, 2024, but the specific centres were disclosed only on August 8, 2024. This delay has created substantial difficulties for students, many of whom are struggling with the non-availability of train tickets and soaring airfares, exacerbating their travel challenges.

The petition also raised issues regarding the normalization of scores between different examination batches. Soren requested that the Supreme Court mandate the disclosure of the normalization formula to ensure fairness. Without this transparency, there is a concern that disparities in question difficulty between batches could lead to unequal evaluations.

The petition sought several remedies from the Court:

To reschedule the NEET-PG 2024 examination to a later date.

To conduct the examination in a single batch to ensure uniform testing conditions.

To address and improve the process of examination centre allocation to enhance fairness and transparency.

In the wake of the Court’s decision, candidates are advised that they can now download their admit cards for the NEET-PG 2024 from the official NBEMS website at natboard.edu.in. The NEET-PG examination is a critical national-level entrance test for admission to various post-MBBS DNB courses, direct 6-year DrNB courses, and NBEMS diploma programs offered by medical institutions across India.