NEET-PG Cut-Off Slashed to Zero, Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Reply
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre and the National Board of Examinations (NBE) on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a stay on the NEET-PG 2024 counselling. The PIL challenges the drastic reduction of the qualifying percentile to zero.
Key Developments
- The Supreme Court issued notice on a PIL against NEET-PG 2024 counselling.
- The petition challenges the cut-off percentile being reduced to zero for all categories.
- The next hearing is scheduled for February 9, 2024.
What the Petition Says
A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued the notice. The petition, filed by a group of doctors, calls the reduction “drastic and unprecedented.”
The plea argues that while the move aims to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats, it risks compromising the standards of medical education and, consequently, patient care across the country.
Demands of the Petitioners
The doctors have requested the Supreme Court to:
- Stay the counselling process until a thorough probe into alleged exam irregularities is completed.
- Order either a re-examination or a fresh counselling round based on a revised, reasonable cut-off percentile.
Understanding NEET-PG
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate courses (NEET-PG) is the single national-level entrance exam for admission to MD/MS and other postgraduate medical programmes in India.
The court’s intervention comes amid significant controversy in the medical education sector, with stakeholders debating the balance between filling seats and maintaining merit.
