NEET-PG 2024: SC to hold detailed hearing on disclosure of answer keys, question papers

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hold a detailed hearing on pleas seeking disclosure of answer keys and question papers of NEET-PG 2024 held on 11 August in order to ensure transparency in the selection process.

Appearing before a bench of justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, advocate Tanvi Dubey, representing a section of candidates, said the information memorandum was not published and there was not even a standard operating procedure in place on how exams were conducted.

She said even states were confused over the counselling procedure. The bench directed for the matter to be listed on a "non-miscellaneous day" while outlining the requirement for a detailed hearing.

One of the petitions, filed through Dubey, challenged the “arbitrary action” on the part of National Board of Examinations (NBE) for not releasing the answer key and the question paper. It alleged there was no option for a revaluation and rechecking in case of a difference in the expected and actual marks.

The top court had previously questioned the last-minute changes to the NEET-PG 2024 pattern by the NBE, saying it was "very unusual" and the students could have a "meltdown". It had then sought responses of the NBE and the Centre within a week on the petitions.

The students said the issue pertained to last-minute changes in the examination pattern, normalisation of marks, disclosure of answer keys, and the question papers of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Post-Graduation (NEET-PG) held on 11 August.

Senior lawyer Vibha Datta Makhija, also representing candidates, submitted there were neither any rule nor clarity and the exam was split into two parts three days prior to the test. "There needs to be a standardised approach," said Makhija while pointing out no regulations governed the conduct of the exams.

"Everything was dependent on a single information bulletin which can be modified at the whims and fancies of the authorities," she had said.

Another plea, filed by Ishika Jain and others, sought the disclosure of answer keys, question papers of NEET-PG 2024, and standardisation of marks as the test was split into two parts for ensuring transparency in the selection process.

NEET-PG is conducted for admissions in courses after MBBS and BDS. The results, which were announced by the NBE on 23 August, have led to concerns among students over unexpectedly low rankings.

After comparing the scores with the unofficial answer keys, many students raised a suspicion over the discrepancies in the ranking process and urged the NBE to release the official answer keys and sought setting up of a grievance portal.

The NBE had not released either the question papers or the answer keys without which the candidates would not be able to assess their performances in a transparent way, Makhija claimed.