Supreme Court Refuses To Reschedule NEET PG 2024 Exams

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the petition seeking to reschedule the NEET-PG 2024 due to issues with the allocation of exam centres.

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala, Manoj Misra said: "It is not a perfect world and cannot devise a new education policy. Will not reschedule the exams and put the careers of so many candidates at risk."

As soon as the proceedings began, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde reminded the court that the exams were rescheduled once. When the bench showed reluctance, Hegde clarified that he was pursuing only the second request: directing the NBE to conduct the exam in a single batch to ensure a uniform and fair testing environment for all candidates.

However, the apex court said that only 5 out of over 2 lakh students had filed the petition. In response, Hegde mentioned that the demand is supported by many students, adding that he has received approximately 50,000 messages in support.

"At the behest of 5 petitioners, we can't put the career of 2 lakh students at jeopardy. Let there be certainty," CJI said.

"As a matter of principle, we will not reschedule. There are two lakh students and 4 lakh parents who will weep over the weekend," CJI added.

Addressing the petitioners' concerns about normalization, the Chief Justice of India acknowledged that normalization might not be a perfect solution. He emphasized the need to explore practical solutions in a complex and diverse society.

The petition raised two primary issues: first, that many NEET-PG 2024 candidates have been assigned test centres that are difficult for them to reach; and second, that the exam is scheduled to be held in two batches, with the normalization formula remaining unknown to candidates, raising fears of potential arbitrariness.