The petition claims that test cities were assigned on July 31, 2024, and specific exam centers were only announced on August 8, 2024.While these measures were implemented to prevent cheating, they have caused significant inconvenience for over two lakh students. The petitioner argues that the short notice has made it difficult for students to arrange travel to their assigned cities, especially with limited train availability and rising airfares.
“Given the short notice, it has become highly difficult for students to make arrangements for their travel to their specific cities,” the petition states, as quoted by LiveLaw. The plea, filed through Advocate on Record (AoR) Anas Tanwir, states, “…more than two lakh students are scheduled to appear in the aforestated examination. The examination is scheduled to be held in 185 test cities, therefore resulting in non-availability of train tickets as well as hiking of air fares due to dynamic pricing thereby making it almost impossible for a large number of students to reach their test centres” .
Additionally, the petitioner seeks the disclosure of the normalisation formula of the four sets of question papers to ensure transparency and eliminate any possibility of arbitrariness in the evaluation process.
On the other hand, according to PTI, NBEMS President Abhijat Sheth has stated that 90 percent of students appearing for the NEET PG exam have been allotted test centers within the state of their correspondence address. The remaining students have been assigned centers in nearby states due to a shortage of testing seats in their home states.
What to Expect
A media report indicates that the petition to postpone the NEET PG exam was filed at the last minute, which might undermine its chances of success. Despite this, the Supreme Court is expected to consider the genuine concerns raised by the candidates about travel difficulties and logistical issues. If the Court finds the concerns valid, it may rule in favor of the petition, potentially instructing the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to reassign test centers to locations closer to the candidates’ homes. The final outcome will be determined once the hearing takes place and all arguments are considered.
The Paper Leak Controversy
Social media posts have surfaced, alleging a possible NEET PG paper leak. With less than five days until the examination, candidates are increasingly worried about reports of NEET PG 2024 question papers being sold on various platforms. Recent activity on Telegram, in particular, has sparked concern, with users sharing screenshots of conversations from specific channels discussing the alleged paper leak.
Read our detailed report here.
The Mismanagement of NEET PG 2024
Originally scheduled for June, the NEET PG 2024 exam was rescheduled to August due to disruptions related to the NEET UG and UGC NET exams. The UGC NET exam was canceled just two days after its initial date, while NEET PG was called off only 12 hours before it was set to occur.
For the August 11 examination, many candidates have expressed frustration over the “random” allocation of exam centers, with some reporting that their centers are located 800 to 1,000 kilometers away from their homes. The NEET PG 2024 admit cards, released on August 8, 2024, include the specific details of each candidate’s exam venue.
The National Board of Examinations (NBE) has scheduled NEET PG 2024 for August 11, 2024, and released the admit cards for candidates on August 8, 2024.
