Supreme Court questions change in NEET-PG pattern, seeks response of NBE and Centre

The Supreme Court on Friday raised concerns over the last-minute changes to the NEET-PG 2024 exam pattern by the National Board of Education (NBE), calling it "very unusual" and warning that such actions could lead to a "meltdown" for students. A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud acknowledged the arguments presented by senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija and lawyer Tanvi Dubey, representing the students. The court has asked the NBE and the Centre to respond within a week, with the matter scheduled for hearing on September 27.

At the beginning of the hearing, the senior advocate highlighted the abrupt changes made to the exam pattern, issues with mark normalization, and the lack of transparency regarding the answer keys and question papers for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post-Graduation (NEET-PG), held on August 11. She noted that there were no clear rules, and the exam was split into two parts just three days before the test.

"There needs to be a standardised approach," she said and added there were no regulations to ascertain as to how the exams were to be conducted. "Everything was dependent on a single information bulletin which can be modified at the whims and fancies of the authorities."

The counsel for the NBE contested the submissions and said nothing new and unusual were done.

"It is very unusual... Three days before the examinations (exam pattern was changed) ...students will have a meltdown," Chief Justice Chandrachud said and listed the pleas on September 27, keeping in mind the upcoming counselling for admissions in postgraduate courses.

The plea, filed by Ishika Jain and others, was last heard on September 13.

It seeks the disclosure of answer keys, question papers of NEET-PG, 2024, and standardisation of marks as the test was split into two parts for ensuring transparency in the selection process.

NEET-PG is conducted for admissions in courses after MBBS and BDS.

The results, which were announced by the NBE on August 23, have led to concerns among students over unexpectedly low rankings.

After comparing the scores with unofficial answer keys, many students raised suspicion about discrepancies in the ranking process and urged the NBE to release official answer keys and set up a grievance portal to address the issues.

Makhija had earlier said the NBE did not release either the question papers or the answer keys and, without knowing the correct answers, the candidates would not be able to assess their performances in a transparent way.Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!