SC Issues Notice On Petition Challenging Lack Of Transparency In NEET-PG Exam

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the National Board of Examinations (NBE) on Friday, addressing a petition regarding transparency in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG 2024. The NEET-PG exam took place on August 11, and results were announced on August 23. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud led the bench, requesting responses from the NBE and the Union government, with a hearing scheduled for September 27.

Senior advocate Vibha Makhija, representing NEET-PG aspirants, argued that changes made just three days before the exam adversely affected students. The introduction of two shifts, a normalization method, and alterations to the tie-breaker criterion raised concerns. Makhija stated that the NBE amended the information bulletin at its discretion, lacking any governing rules or regulations.

Concerns Over Lack of Documentation

The petition criticized the NBE’s failure to disclose essential examination materials, such as question papers, answer keys, or candidates’ response sheets. The lack of transparency prevented students from evaluating their performance. Instead of detailed scores, students only received a scorecard.

The petition highlighted a departure from previous practices, where candidates received a total score along with the number of correct and incorrect answers. This year’s results did not provide total scores, which raised concerns about fairness.

The petitioners emphasized that NEET-PG had always been a single-shift examination. They described the recent changes as arbitrary and inconsistent with principles of transparency and fairness outlined in Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The petition warned that variations in scores could bar candidates from specializing in their chosen fields, affecting their future careers.

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