SC directs NEET-PG 2025 to be held in single shift

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to conduct the NEET-PG 2025 examination, scheduled for June 15, in a single shift instead of two. The bench, led by Justice Vikram Nath and comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and N V Anjaria, said conducting the exam in two shifts would create "arbitrariness" and compromise fairness.
The top court said there was still sufficient time to make the necessary logistical arrangements. “Holding an examination in two shifts creates arbitrariness and does not place all candidates on the same level. Any two question papers can never be of identical difficulty or ease,” the order noted.
Rejecting the NBE’s claim that there weren't enough centres to conduct the exam in a single shift, the apex court said that the "exam is to be held all over the country, not just in one city. We are not ready to accept that, given India’s technological advancements, the examining body cannot find enough centres to hold the examination in one shift.”
The bench was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the decision to hold NEET-PG 2025 in two shifts. The petitioners argued that this system gives undue weight to “luck” over merit and violates candidates’ rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
(With LiveLaw inputs)