Conduct NEET PG Exam In Single Shift: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the NEET PG exam to be conducted in only one shift. Several petitions were filed against conducting the NEET PG exam, to be held on June 15, in two shifts. The petitioners said that different question papers can put the students appearing for the exam in both shifts on unequal footing. The Supreme Court took cognisance of this argument and deemed it to be right.

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice NV Anjaria passed the order.

"Holding the exam in two shifts leads to arbitrariness and cannot give a level playing field. The question papers in the two shifts can never be of the same difficulty level. Last year, it may have been held in two shifts in the facts and circumstances of that
stage. But the examining body ought to have considered making arrangements for holding the examination in one shift," the Supreme Court was quoted by legal news website Live Law.

The NBE said there weren't enough centres to hold the exams in a single shift. Rejecting the argument, the SC said that the number of centres should be increased to conduct the exam in a single shift. If it takes time, the date of the exam should be extended after taking permission from the court. "We are not ready to accept that in the entire country and considering the technological advancements in this country, the examining body could not find enough centres to hold the examination and one shift," the SC said.

(This story is being updated.)

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