The Supreme Court of India on Friday firmly declined a petition seeking postponement of the NEET-PG examination, scheduled for August 11th. The court’s decision stemmed from the argument that the inconvenience faced by a limited number of candidates regarding their allocated test centers did not warrant disrupting the exam for over 2 lakh students. The petition, filed by several students, highlighted two primary concerns. Firstly, many NEET-PG 2024 candidates were allotted test centers deemed inconvenient to reach. Secondly, the exam’s two-batch format with an unknown normalization formula fueled anxieties about potential arbitrariness. However, the Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, remained resolute in its stance, underscoring the need for certainty and upholding the importance of the exam’s scheduled date. Justice Chandrachud emphasized the vast scale of the exam, stating that it’s not a small matter and rescheduling wouldn’t be feasible. Justice Pardiwala further reinforced the court’s decision, stating that postponing the exam based on the pleas of 50 students would unfairly jeopardize the careers of 2 lakh candidates. He highlighted the potential for future petitions based on similar grounds, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a fair and consistent approach to large-scale examinations. The court’s decision underscores the paramount importance of ensuring the timely completion of national examinations, while also emphasizing the significance of maintaining a fair and equitable environment for all participating candidates. The court’s refusal to entertain the plea underscores the critical need for stability and predictability in the academic calendar and serves as a strong message against unnecessary disruptions to national examinations.
