The Supreme Court of India has taken cognizance of petitions seeking the publication of answer keys for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 examination. A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan issued notices to the Centre and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), seeking their response to the petitions.
The petitions before the Supreme Court raise concerns about the transparency of the NEET-PG 2025 examination process, particularly regarding the disclosure of answer keys and evaluation protocols. The petitioners are seeking measures to ensure increased transparency in the examination. Senior Advocate Shikhil Suri, appearing for one of the parties, clarified that the petitioners are not attempting to interfere with the counseling process, which will commence following the declaration of results, but emphasized the significant impact of non-disclosure of answer keys on a large number of students.
During the hearing, the bench acknowledged that over two lakh students appeared for the NEET-PG 2025 exam. Justice Pardiwala questioned why only a small fraction of students had approached the court with their grievances. "Out of two lakh students who appeared, why do a handful of students have complaints to make?" he asked. Addressing the petitioners, Justice Pardiwala advised them to concentrate on their studies and avoid excessive involvement in litigation. “When do you study? You should get out of all this litigation. Concentrate on your studies. If you keep coming here, complaining this is not correct, that is not correct. Stand on your own merit”.
The court has previously addressed the issue of transparency in the NEET-PG examination. On April 29, the Supreme Court directed the publication of raw scores, answer keys, and the normalization formula to promote transparency. Furthermore, on May 30, the court directed that the NEET-PG 2025 examination be conducted in a single shift, while keeping transparency issues pending comparison with other national exams.
The petitions argue that the current mechanism for releasing answer keys is "opaque, unintelligible, and incapable of meaningful verification". They seek directions to allow candidates to challenge disputed questions or answers and to mandate transparent evaluation mechanisms in future examinations. One of the counsels stated that a Google form was created where around 2000 students have signed, implying that many students share the same concerns.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the matter after four weeks. In the meantime, the Centre and NBEMS are expected to file their responses to the petitions. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the future of NEET-PG examinations and the transparency of the evaluation process.
