The Supreme Court has rejected a petition by a group of students seeking a postponement of the NEET-PG exam scheduled for Sunday, emphasizing that it cannot jeopardize the careers of nearly 2 lakh candidates. The post-graduate medical entrance exam, originally set for June 23, had already been delayed once due to concerns over NEET-UG irregularities.

The petitioners argued that many candidates were assigned exam centers in distant cities, making it challenging for them to reach on time. They noted that while the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) informed them of the city for the exam on July 31, the exact exam centers were only disclosed on Thursday, just days before the exam. They also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the score normalization process for the two-session exam.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices Manoj Misra and JB Pardiwala heard the plea on Friday. The court ruled against postponing the exam, stressing that it could not disrupt the exam schedule so close to the date. The bench pointed out that a postponement would affect nearly 2 lakh students and their families, and it would be unfair to reschedule the exam based on the request of a few candidates.

Previously, the NEET-PG exam had been postponed on June 22, just a day before the original date, due to the controversy surrounding NEET-UG paper leaks. The government had decided to delay the exam to reassess the integrity of the examination process, leading to significant inconvenience for many candidates who had to travel to various cities to sit for the test.

In dismissing the current petition, the Supreme Court emphasized the importance of maintaining the exam schedule and minimizing disruptions to the academic timeline for the large number of candidates involved.