NEET-PG 2025: Supreme Court Orders Transparency, Directs Publication Of Raw Scores, Answer Keys And Normalisation Formula

Mumbai: In a landmark ruling aimed at reforming postgraduate (PG) medical admissions, the Supreme Court has directed the publication of raw scores, answer keys, and the normalisation formula used in NEET-PG examinations to ensure transparency.

The Bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and J.R. Mahadevan emphasised, “Publish raw scores, answer keys and normalisation formulae for transparency in multi-shift NEET-PG exams.”

This comes even as the Supreme Court is currently hearing two separate petitions—one filed by the United Doctors Front and another by Dr Aditi Gupta and others—challenging the conduct of the NEET-PG examination in multiple shifts.

The petitioners have raised concerns about the lack of transparency and fairness in the 2024 exam, noting that individual scores and the normalisation formula were not disclosed. As this was the first time the exam was held in multiple shifts, it has led to considerable frustration among candidates. The Supreme Court has listed the matter for hearing next week.

The recent order—which directed for the individual marks and normalisation formulae to be made available for candidates—forms part of a slew of directions intended to tackle irregularities such as seat blocking and to streamline the counselling process.

The case concerned two candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Bhavna Tiwari and Sonal Sharma, who despite better ranks and clear preferences for MD Radiodiagnosis, were allocated other specialties during the initial counselling rounds.

They alleged that candidates who had already secured seats in the first and second rounds were wrongly permitted to participate in the mop-up round, resulting in 80% of seats being filled during this phase, including those in Radiology, often by less meritorious candidates. The petitioners sought correction of this injustice, claiming a large-scale deviation from the established admission process.

The Supreme Court upheld the findings of the Allahabad High Court, acknowledging that there was a “flaw in the admission procedure” and noting “a large-scale blocking of seats”. It ruled that no admissions could be allowed after the cut-off date and underscored that the counselling schedule must be strictly followed.

Importantly, the Court recognised the harm caused to the petitioners and awarded each Rs10 lakhs in compensation, directing the Director General of Medical Education and Training, Uttar Pradesh, to disburse the amounts within four weeks.

Further, the court ordered the Principal Secretary of Medical Education, Uttar Pradesh, to devise a foolproof counselling system to prevent seat blocking and to ensure maximum seat utilisation in the first two rounds. An inquiry was mandated within two months into the dilution of the admission process and the irregular readmission of candidates in the mop-up round, with directives to hold erring officials accountable.

For future sessions, the top court introduced a new process allowing candidates admitted in earlier rounds a window to upgrade their streams based on merit and preference before mop-up counselling begins.

It clarified, “By this procedure allowing the candidates to upgrade their seats would not amount to third round of counseling,” adding that this would “ensure fairness in the admission process” and “maintain discipline”.

Commenting on the verdict, Brijesh Sutaria, a Mumbai-based medical education activist, said, “The Supreme Court’s verdict marks a watershed moment for NEET-PG aspirants nationwide. The court has endorsed long-overdue reforms addressing seat blocking, inter-agency coordination, fee opacity, and more. Crucially, it mandates pre-counselling disclosure of all private and deemed university charges, including tuition, hostel, caution deposit, and miscellaneous fees.”

“This ensures that students and parents are financially informed before making decisions. It is now imperative that state and apex competent authorities implement the SC directions diligently, leaving no room for negligence, as these reforms directly impact the financial and mental well-being of thousands of families, he added.

On the issue of transparency, Sutaria said, “The Court has issued a long-awaited directive, NBE must publish raw scores, answer keys, and normalisation formulae for multi-shift NEET-PG examinations. This is a huge relief for NEET-PG 2025 aspirants, especially after the uncertainty that clouded the 2024 cycle. The verdict enforces accountability and fairness, restoring trust in the examination and counselling processes.”

Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, also welcomed the judgment but raised concerns about the continuation of multi-shift exams. “It’s justice delayed for 2024 batches but welcome to the coming year batches. But one thing the court did not address was about the single shift matter. When NBEMS was able to conduct NEET PG for 2.5 lakh candidates in a single shift till 2023, then why cannot they conduct it the same way now? A single mark in such competitive exams can affect your ranks severely so why should normalisation be accepted?” she asked.

This judgment not only compensates the affected candidates but also mandates systemic changes aimed at protecting meritocracy and transparency in the NEET-PG counselling process, setting a new benchmark for medical education admissions across the country.