As 2024 draws to a close, the lives of Indian students tell two very different stories.
On one side, countless students step into a future filled with hope, their days brimming with the energy of college corridors and university classrooms. On the other side, however, millions of medical aspirants find themselves stranded, mourning a year that slipped through their fingers
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG), India’s largest medical entrance exam, was marred by controversies that left millions of aspirants in turmoil.
On May 5, whispers of a question paper leak began to surface. Social media buzzed with claims, but the National Testing Agency (NTA) denied any wrongdoing.
However, the situation escalated when 13 people were arrested in Patna, Bihar, for allegedly leaking the paper and charging Rs 30 – Rs 50 lakh from candidates. In Godhra, Gujarat, an exam centre raid revealed a deputy superintendent guiding students to leave questions blank so he could fill in the answers later.
The results, declared on June 4, only deepened the chaos.
A dramatic surge in top scores raised eyebrows, with some marks deemed mathematically impossible. Protests erupted nationwide as students demanded a re-examination, alleging widespread unfairness.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled on July 23 that no systemic failure had occurred, refusing to order a re-test.
Meanwhile, the NEET-PG exam, conducted on August 11, faced its own storm.
Significant last-minute changes to the exam pattern and allegations of irregularities left over two lakh postgraduate aspirants grappling with confusion.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) further delayed announcing the counselling schedule, adding to their uncertainty.
The year unfolded with a different plan for those who dreamed of donning white coats and stepping into medical colleges. Instead of lecture halls, they found themselves in endless queues outside courtrooms.
Looking at Telangana
While that's the national picture, the scenario was even more sombre in a few states.
Anne Bankien, a NEET-PG aspirant, reflected on the plight of about 400 students caught in the crossfire of Telangana’s controversial Government Order (GO) on local status.
The GO had deemed students who completed their schooling in other states ineligible for postgraduate medical counselling in Telangana, even if they had completed their MBBS degrees within the state.
"We studied here for six years, served the people of Telangana during our internships, and yet they're telling us we're non-locals," Anne said and added, "If other states consider Telangana students as locals, why can't Telangana do the same for us? We are left with no state to call home."
Anne and her peers felt ignored despite approaching health officials, university authorities, and the media.
"We had no choice but to go to court. What else could we do?" she explained.
Advocate Divakar Reddy, representing Anne and others, pointed out, "This policy impacts around 400 students directly, and yet only 90 came forward to file cases. Many didn’t even realise they were affected due to a lack of awareness."
The delays have left students anxious about their futures. "We’re sitting at home, watching our peers move forward while we’re stuck," Anne said.
"Doctors are supposed to be in hospitals, not courtrooms."
In a significant relief for these aspirants, the Telangana High Court has ruled in favour of petitioners challenging Government Order (GO) 148, which pertained to local quota eligibility.
On December 17, the court struck down the contentious GO, issued on October 28, just two days before PG counselling began. But now, looks like the Government of Telangana has moved the Supreme Court.
The year 2024 led to millions of students asking these questions: How can students ensure that the authorities effectively address their grievances and lead to meaningful solutions or changes? Additionally, what does the future hold? Finally, what steps should they take if they decide to pursue any legal action?
Navigating legal pathways: Expert advice for students
When asked how students could approach their grievances, advocate Tanvi Dubey, who has handled multiple NEET-related cases, highlighted the importance of exhausting all administrative remedies before turning to the courts.
"I always tell students to first approach the authorities with detailed emails and follow-ups. Only if that fails should they consider going to court," she said.
The advocate also stressed the need for clarity in presenting cases. "Once they take the legal route, the first point is to have clarity on what you’re asking for. Students often want sweeping changes, but they need to focus on specific, evidence-backed issues."
Advocate Dubey observed that transparency remains a significant problem in exams like NEET. "From marking discrepancies to opaque counselling decisions, students are losing trust in the system," she added, "Many approach us after missing deadlines, making their cases more challenging to fight.
Anne agreed, highlighting the multiple steps she and her peers took before taking legal action.
"We met officials, submitted representations, even approached the media. But they ignored us," she said. "We’re not asking for special treatment. We just want what we deserve," she expressed.
Advocate Divakar Reddy also shared his insights. He explained how the government's policies directly impacted the lives of over 400 students.
"This policy impacts around 400 students directly, and yet only 90 came forward to file cases," he said.
Many students either didn’t realise they were affected or felt they lacked the resources to fight. "Students need to stay vigilant, keep track of policies, and act quickly to protect their rights," he asserted.
Advocate Reddy also commented on the challenges students face when seeking justice.
"Many students don’t have the resources to sustain long legal battles. They’re losing time and money while waiting for their cases to move forward," he said and added, "The authorities need to stop passing the buck and take responsibility for the students’ futures."
He also called for systemic reforms to ease students’ burdens. "Students shouldn’t have to run between secretariats, universities, and courts to get what’s rightfully theirs. The authorities need to act with empathy and transparency," he said.
Dr Satendra Singh: Advocating for disability rights in medical education
Dr Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist, highlighted the specific challenges students with disabilities face.
"Unlike other marginalised groups, disabled students are forced to prove their eligibility repeatedly, even when they have valid certificates. Just imagine the effect the cases and injustices must have had on them," he said.
Commenting on various cases involving various differently-abled students and their right to medical education, Dr Singh shared key recommendations he made to the National Medical Commission (NMC), which the Supreme Court accepted:
"Use the human rights model of disability for assessment."
"In all of these assessment centres, you need to mandatorily have the presence of a doctor with a disability who knows disability laws also."
"NMC has to revise its guidelines, which are controversial right now."
"Every medical college needs to list what reasonable accommodations are available for them."
"Every medical college must have an enabling unit. And it is the job of the enabling unit to provide those assistive devices or reasonable accommodation to such candidates who are entering the medical profession."
"There has to be an appellate board so that these decisions can be questioned in a higher forum, which does not exist right now."
"The Supreme Court has directed NMC to implement those [changes]… within six months." Dr Singh said, as he praised the Supreme Court’s proactive stance, he cautioned that delays in implementation continue to disrupt timelines for disabled students. "The system needs to be more accommodating and proactive," he said.
Anne is among the thousands of students navigating systemic inefficiencies and legal complexities to pursue fairness. "Every time the court postpones a hearing, our anxiety grows, but I think next year it will be better, " Anne said.
Dr Ishika Jain, the petitioner in the NEET-PG case, added, "We’re stuck waiting for something that should have been resolved months ago. We will probably get the benefits for next year, for sure."
As 2024 transitions into 2025, students like Anne and Ishika continue to fight for justice, hoping that reforms such as the National Exit Test (NExT) exam in 2026 will bring much-needed clarity and fairness to the system.
