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

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF) challenging the National Board of Examinations (NBE) decision to conduct the NEET PG 2025 examination in two shifts.

The petition demands that the examination be conducted in a single and uniform session across the country.

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

The plea, filed through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, said the conduct of NEET PG in two shifts with different question papers leads to inevitable variation in difficulty levels, thereby subjecting candidates to unequal standards of evaluation.

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

It sought the top court’s intervention to conduct NEET PG 2025 in a single and uniform session, apart from seeking an interim stay on the examination scheduled for June 15.

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.

“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.