Raising concerns over fairness and transparency in the conduct of NEET-PG 2025, the United Doctors' Front (UDF) has approached the Supreme Court seeking that the examination be held in a single shift across the country.
The Writ Petition, filed on May 1 (Diary No 23782/2025), names the Union of India as the respondent and challenges the decision of the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to hold the test in two different shifts with separate question papers.
Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the petition argues that the two-shift model, combined with the use of a disputed normalisation process, compromises aspirants’ fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21, especially the right to equality and a fair and merit-based selection.
Dr Lakshya Mittal, National President of UDF and the petitioner in the case, said the move comes in response to widespread concerns among medical aspirants.
“Our petition is in response to overwhelming concerns raised by NEET-PG aspirants across India. Conducting exams in two shifts with different levels of difficulty and applying a normalisation formula without transparency directly impacts the fairness and credibility of the entire process,” Dr Mittal said.
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The decision to conduct National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) in two shifts has been met with criticism from aspirants and medical professionals alike. Critics argue that varying difficulty levels between shifts can lead to unfair advantages or disadvantages for candidates, even after normalisation.
In NEET-PG 2024, similar concerns were raised. Candidates reported discrepancies between expected and actual scores, attributing them to the normalisation process.
Several aspirants even moved the apex court, alleging widespread discrepancies in the NEET-PG 2024 results, and the matter is still sub-judice.
Some alleged that the process lacked transparency and failed to account for differences in question paper difficulty.
Medical associations, including the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), have also expressed opposition to the two-shift format. FAIMA has urged the NBE to revert to a single-shift examination to ensure uniformity and fairness.
The matter has yet to be listed for a hearing by the Supreme Court.
