NEET PG 2025 Controversy: Supreme Court to Hear Petition on Two-Shift Exam

In a key development, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea challenging the National Board of Examinations’ (NBE) decision to conduct the NEET PG 2025 examination in two separate shifts. The postgraduate entrance test, scheduled for June 15, will be held in two computer-based sessions at various centres across the country. Results are expected to be declared by July 15.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice B R Gavai, and Justice Augustine George Masih stated that the matter would be listed for hearing soon. The counsel for the petitioners reminded the court that the case was supposed to be listed the previous week, as per an earlier assurance on May 23.

“This is urgent. The admit cards will be issued on June 2,” the lawyer told the bench. Responding to the urgency, Chief Justice Chandrachud said, “It will be listed in a day or two.”

The petition, filed by Aditi and others, argues that holding the exam in two different shifts may result in an unfair evaluation due to potential discrepancies in the difficulty levels of the two question papers. The petitioners have urged the apex court to direct the NBE to conduct the examination in a single shift to ensure a level playing field for all candidates.

On May 5, the Supreme Court had already issued notices to the NBE, the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, seeking their response on the matter.

This plea comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the NEET PG examination process. In a related move, the Supreme Court recently passed a significant order aimed at cleaning up NEET PG counselling. The verdict called for an end to seat-blocking practices and mandated that authorities disclose raw scores, answer keys, and the formula used for score normalisation to enhance transparency.

With the exam date approaching, the current petition has added fresh pressure on authorities, raising concerns about fairness and uniformity in the NEET PG 2025 process. The outcome of this plea could potentially impact lakhs of aspiring medical professionals across the country.