SC to hear plea for NEET-PG question paper disclosure.
The NEET-PG exam, conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE), took place on August 11. This examination is a crucial step for medical graduates seeking admission to postgraduate programs in medicine across India. The results of the exam were announced promptly on August 23, providing candidates with their scores and rankings. However, in the aftermath of the exam, a plea has been filed seeking the disclosure of the NEET-PG question paper and answer keys. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the plea, which could impact transparency and evaluation processes for future medical entrance examinations.
The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to resume hearing a petition challenging the National Board of Examinations’ (NBE) decision to withhold question papers, answer keys, and response sheets from candidates of the NEET-PG 2024 exam. The hearing will be led by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and will include Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The case is set for September 20, following an initial hearing where the bench expressed willingness to examine the issues raised in the petition.
The NEET-PG exam was conducted by the NBE on August 11, and the results were announced on August 23. According to the plea, candidates were only provided with scorecards, while critical documents such as question papers, response sheets, and answer keys were withheld. This lack of transparency has raised concerns among the candidates, with the petitioners arguing that it impairs their ability to verify their performance and assess the accuracy of the evaluation process.
The petition was filed by advocate Parul Shukla and highlights that in previous years, candidates received not only their total scores but also the number of correct and incorrect answers. The results announced on August 23, however, did not follow this practice, with only scorecards being provided. This deviation from the norm has further fueled concerns about the transparency of the exam’s conduct.
The petitioners argue that the NEET-PG exam’s current method of evaluation is “manifestly arbitrary” and violates the principles of transparency and fairness enshrined in Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. They contend that the exam should provide all necessary information to candidates so they can properly assess their performance. By withholding the question papers, answer keys, and response sheets, the NBE, according to the plea, fails to uphold basic fairness and transparency, which are essential for an examination of this magnitude.
One of the petition’s key arguments centers around the fact that NEET-PG had never been held in multiple shifts before 2024. Traditionally, the exam had been conducted in a single shift on a single day to maintain uniformity and fairness. This year, however, the examination was held in two shifts, raising concerns about the standardization of the exam process. The petitioners argue that holding the exam in multiple shifts could result in variations in difficulty levels between the two sets of question papers, potentially leading to unfair advantages or disadvantages for certain candidates. They call for a review of the normalisation process used to ensure fairness between the two shifts.
The petition highlights what it describes as a “serious patent defect” in the conduct of the NEET-PG 2024 exam. It calls for redressal to establish a clean, transparent, and effective examination system that ensures fairness and gives deserving candidates a fair chance at achieving their desired postgraduate medical specialisations. Since NEET-PG is a multidisciplinary exam where one’s rank determines eligibility for specific courses and fields of study, even a slight variation in marks could prevent candidates from pursuing their field of choice. Thus, the petition underscores the importance of a transparent process that leaves no room for doubt or error.
Earlier this year, in August, the Supreme Court refused to entertain another plea seeking the rescheduling of the NEET-PG 2024 exam. The petitioners in that case had argued that many candidates were assigned exam centers in cities that were highly inconvenient for them to reach. They also raised concerns about the normalisation formula used to account for variations between the four sets of question papers used in the exam. However, the bench headed by CJI Chandrachud dismissed the plea, stating that halting or rescheduling the exam would negatively impact the nearly two lakh candidates registered to take the exam.
In that instance, the Supreme Court took a firm stance, stating that it would not allow the exam to be disrupted at the request of a small group of petitioners. At the behest of four-five petitioners, we cannot jeopardize the careers of two lakh students,” remarked the bench during the hearing.
This current petition, however, focuses on the issue of transparency in the NEET-PG 2024 exam. The petitioners are pushing for the NBE to disclose the question papers, answer keys, and response sheets so that candidates can fully understand their performance and the scoring process. With the Supreme Court’s involvement, the outcome of this case could have significant implications for the way future competitive exams like NEET-PG are conducted in India.
As the Supreme Court resumes hearing the case, all eyes will be on how the bench approaches the questions of fairness, transparency, and accountability in high-stakes national examinations. The resolution of this matter will likely set a precedent for how competitive exams are administered, particularly with regard to the disclosure of question papers and answer keys, potentially reshaping the standards of exam transparency in the country.