The CJI criticized the timing of the changes, labeling them as “highly unusual” and warning that such alterations could potentially lead to a meltdown among students who are already under immense pressure.
NEW DELHI: Today (20th Sept): The Supreme Court addressed a plea concerning the need for standardization in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for postgraduate medical courses.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala stated that it cannot compromise the futures of nearly 200,000 students based solely on the petition filed by just five individuals.
Senior Advocate Vibha Datta Makhija highlighted the urgent issue of a lack of clear rules and regulations governing the exam process, which has led to confusion among candidates.
Just three days before the exam, the National Board of Examination (NBE) announced that the test would be divided into two parts. This last-minute decision has created disparities among candidates, raising serious concerns about fairness and transparency in the assessment process.
Makhija emphasized that a standardized approach is essential to ensure that all students are evaluated on a level playing field.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) addressed the matter with grave concern, stating,
“We issue a notice to the National Board of Examination. This is urgent and must be addressed within a week. You’re playing with students’ futures.”
The CJI criticized the timing of the changes, labeling them as “highly unusual” and warning that such alterations could potentially lead to a meltdown among students who are already under immense pressure.
The NEET PG 2024 exam, a entrance test for medical candidates seeking postgraduate education, has faced significant delays and controversies.
The situation has escalated to the Supreme Court of India, where 19 petitioners have challenged the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), voicing concerns about transparency and the postponed announcement of exam results.
On September 13, 2024, the Supreme Court examined a petition from a group of NEET PG candidates who raised issues regarding irregularities in the exam process, including allegations of a paper leak and discrepancies in score normalization. The petitioners requested the release of the exam’s answer keys and greater clarity on the normalization method used to calculate results.
The delay in the NEET PG counselling schedule has heightened the uncertainty and confusion among candidates. While the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) yet to officially announce the Round 1 counselling dates, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) provided tentative timelines. According to FAIMA, registration for the first round of NEET PG counselling expected to start on September 20, 2024.
The situation is further complicated by the lack of announced cut-off scores and raw results from the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).
To address some of these concerns, the MCC has introduced an option for candidates to change their nationality status from Indian to Non-Resident Indian (NRI) for counselling purposes, available until September 17, 2024.
This nationality conversion process is crucial for candidates aiming to secure NRI seats, adding more complexity to the already intricate counselling process.
Additionally, candidates needing PwD certificates for Round 1 of NEET PG Counselling 2024 can obtain them from designated disability centers between September 9 and September 25, 2024.
