Supreme Court calls change in pattern of NEET-PG unusual, seeks response from Centre

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the last-minute changes to the NEET-PG 2024, pattern by the National Board of Education, saying it was “very unusual” and students could have a “meltdown”.

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A Bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud took note of the submissions of senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija and lawyer Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the students, and sought responses from the National Board of Education (NBE) and Centre within a week on the pleas while listing them for hearing on September 27.

At the outset, the senior advocate said the issue pertained to last-minute changes in the examination pattern, normalisation of marks, disclosure of answer keys, and the question papers of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Post-Graduation (NEET-PG), held on August 11.

Students will have meltdown

It is very unusual… Three days before the examinations (exam pattern was changed) ...students will have a meltdown. —DY Chandrachud, Chief justice of India

She said there were neither any rules nor clarity and the exam was split into two parts 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 was done.

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