NEET PG transparency case: SC rejects request to stop counselling

The Supreme Court on Sept 4 heard a plea from NEET PG candidates seeking the release of complete exam papers along with answer keys but postponed the matter until next week after raising doubts over the purpose of the petition.

The application, which was originally scheduled for October, was advanced following a request for urgent listing.

During the hearing, the bench remarked, “Why do you think there is no transparency? Is it because you got fewer marks?”

The court also cautioned that petitions under Article 32 are at times used to question recruitment and admission systems without genuine grounds.

The students argued that the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) had initially promised to make public the entire set of questions with the answer key but later retracted the commitment, saying that only question IDs would be released.

According to the petitioners, this change makes it impossible to verify the answers since the actual questions remain undisclosed.

While the court asked the respondents to place relevant documents on record before the next hearing, it turned down a separate plea to halt ongoing NEET PG counselling.

The dispute traces back to an Aug 21 announcement by NBEMS that, for the first time, NEET PG candidates would receive the answer key, response sheet, and questions.

The decision was rolled back through a subsequent clarification that only question IDs would be published.

Candidates and medical associations opposed the move, calling it insufficient and “non-verifiable.”

This year’s exam, held on Aug 3, was conducted online in a single session across 301 cities and 1,052 centers, with more than 2.42 lakh candidates appearing.