NEET-PG: SC to Hear Plea Seeking Exam Postponement on Aug 9

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it will hear a petition tomorrow (August 9) seeking to reschedule the NEET-PG 2024 exam due to concerns over the allocation of “highly inconvenient” exam centers and issues with the normalization of marks.

Advocate Anas Tanwir, representing the petitioners, brought the plea to the attention of the bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, requesting an urgent listing.

CJI Chandrachud assured that the matter would be heard tomorrow. It is to be noted that NEET-PG 2024 is scheduled for August 11, 2024.

The petitioners have approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to reschedule the NEET-PG 2024 Examination, arguing that the allocated cities are highly inconvenient and that details about the normalization of the four sets of question papers are lacking. They have requested clarity on ensuring that the normalization formula is disclosed to the candidates to prevent any arbitrariness.

The petitioners noted that test city allocations were made on July 31, with specific centers to be declared on August 8. They appreciate that the measures are intended to prevent malpractice but argue that the short notice makes it difficult for students to arrange travel to their designated cities.

With more than two lakh students scheduled to appear, the exam will be held in 185 test cities. This has led to issues such as non-availability of train tickets and rising airfares due to dynamic pricing, making it nearly impossible for many students to reach their centers.

The petition also raised concerns about the examination being conducted in two batches, with the normalization formula unknown to the candidates. This situation could lead to disparities in question difficulty between batches. The petitioners argue that the normalization formula should be disclosed before the exam to prevent fears of unfairness.

The petition was filed by Anas Tanwir, an Advocate on Record (AOR). Various students, including Vishal Soren, have requested the court to conduct the exam in a single batch to ensure a uniform and fair testing environment for all candidates. They have urged the Supreme Court to address the issues with examination center allocations and ensure that centers are assigned more equitably and transparently.