New Delhi, May 20: A group of doctors (UDF) has approached the Supreme Court of India (for NEET PG 2025) challenging the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)’s decision to conduct the NEET PG 2025 examination in two separate shifts. The top court is scheduled to hear the petition on Monday.
MD Education Desk | Updated – May, 20 @ 10:08 IST
•LIVE Update
14:20 IST – NEET PG 2025 Case Hearing Delay to next week. A bench led by Justice BR Gavai has scheduled the matter for a hearing next week.
Supreme Court issues notice to Union of India, National Medical Commission and National Board of Examination on United Doctors Front’s (UDF) plea challenging NEET PG exam 2025 which is slated to take place in two separate shifts. A bench led by Justice BR Gavai listed the matter to be heard next week. The plea sought that the NEET PG exam 2025 be conducted in one shift to ensure transparency, uniformity in difficulty levels and equal standards of evaluation.
14:05 IST – Supreme Court issues notice on plea for transgender reservation in NEET PG seats: The plea filed by three transgender persons has sought 1 per cent horizontal reservation for transgender candidates.
“In the absence of horizontal reservation, the petitioners, who are among the few transgender persons in the country who are pursuing/have completed MBBS and are planning to pursue post-graduation, will be deprived of equal opportunity as no special reservation is being provided to ensure representation of transgender persons in postgraduate medical education, while transgender persons are facing several social barriers,” the plea said.
The plea, filed by aggrieved NEET PG aspirants, argues that conducting the exam in two shifts will create unfair disparities among candidates due to possible variations in the difficulty level of question papers. Petitioners have requested the court to direct the NBEMS to conduct the exam in a single shift to maintain fairness and uniformity.
The petition also raises concerns about the normalization process used to equalize scores between shifts, claiming it is not scientifically reliable in exams where a difference of even one mark can significantly impact a candidate’s rank.
“We are not against reform, but two shifts for a crucial exam like NEET PG is unjust. Even after requesting clarification from NBEMS, no proper response was received. We were left with no choice but to seek legal intervention,” said one of the petitioners.
According to sources, the matter will be heard by a bench likely headed by Justice Vikram Nath. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan will represent the petitioners in court.
The NEET PG exam is a key national-level entrance test for admission into postgraduate medical courses in India. Traditionally conducted in a single shift, the exam now faces logistical changes due to the growing number of applicants. However, this move has triggered opposition from students and doctors who fear unequal evaluation and rank discrepancies.
Several medical professionals earlier submitted a written representation to the NBEMS urging them to reconsider the two-shift plan. After receiving no official response, the issue escalated to the judiciary.
The outcome of Monday’s hearing could have significant implications for lakhs of medical graduates preparing for NEET PG 2025.
For real-time updates on this case and other developments in medical education, stay tuned to MedicoDrive.
Shreya Gandhi is a writer at MedicoDrive.com with a Master’s in English from Mumbai. She covers medicolegal cases, NMC/DCI updates, medical education, and health news from India and around the world. Passionate about journalism, she brings clarity to complex medical topics.