New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Union Ministry of Health to address concerns regarding the conduct of the NEET PG 2025 exam in two shifts.
A bench consisting of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan issued a notice after seven petitioners — Aditi, Atashi Das, Ravi, Joel Joseph Issac, Tayyab Chaudhary, Amit Singh, and Mrinal Jaiswal — filed a writ petition. The petitioners urged the Court to direct NBEMS to hold the exam in a single shift to ensure fairness, equality and impartial competition for all candidates, as reported by Live Law.
The petitioners questioned the fairness of holding the exam in two shifts, arguing that NEET PG lacks transparency, particularly due to the use of moderation and normalization procedures. They claimed that these practices violates candidates’ fundamental right to a fair examination under Article 21 of the Constitution.
They referenced the previous year’s NEET PG exam, where differences in the difficulty levels between shifts sparked controversy. They alleged that the second shift was easier, leading to differences in marks and rankings. The petitioners also pointed out that questions were not equally difficult in all subjects, which gave some students higher scores and put others at a disadvantage.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case again on May 20, as per the computer-generated cause list available on the official sci.gov.in website.
Meanwhile, NBEMS will close NEET PG 2025 registration tomorrow. Candidates can submit their applications through the official website, natboard.edu.in.
In March, Kerala MP Kodikunnil Suresh raised this issue in the Lok Sabha. He urged the government to take action to address the concerns of medical aspirants and ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process, stressing that the NEET PG decision is crucial to the future of India’s healthcare system.
