The Supreme Court has directed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to clarify its policy on publishing answer keys for the National Eligibility Entrance Test – Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 examination. This ruling stems from petitions filed by candidates seeking greater transparency in the exam process.
The Court specifically instructed NBEMS to submit an affidavit within two weeks. This document must detail whether a formal policy exists for disclosing answer keys and other exam materials. The bench, however, affirmed it would not address individual complaints regarding alleged discrepancies in the examination’s conduct.
Supreme Court Directs NBEMS on Policy
A bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Vipul M Pancholi heard multiple petitions. These petitions raised concerns about transparency in NEET PG 2025, primarily demanding the release of answer keys. Previous hearings on similar pleas occurred on September 26, when a bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan issued notice to the National Board of Examinations (NBE) regarding disclosure demands.
NBEMS Cites Non-Disclosure Rule
During the hearing, NBEMS counsel stated the board follows a non-disclosure policy. This policy requires candidates to sign an undertaking, preventing them from accessing or sharing answer keys. The counsel argued that coaching institutes often drive these petitions to gain access to question papers. Such access, the counsel claimed, could compromise exam quality and confidentiality.
Justice Narasimha questioned if the Court could adopt a similar approach to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) case. In that instance, the UPSC agreed to provisionally publish answer keys after preliminary examinations. When asked for the official location of NBEMS’s non-disclosure policy, the counsel initially cited the website, then clarified it was an unwritten convention.
Bench Seeks Official Affidavit
The Supreme Court reiterated its demand for NBEMS to file an affidavit. This affidavit must clearly outline its policy and official position on answer key publication. The Court maintained its stance against addressing specific individual allegations about NEET PG 2025 exam discrepancies.
Past Orders Promote Transparency
The Supreme Court has previously issued directives promoting exam transparency in other cases. On April 29, the Court ordered the publication of raw scores, answer keys, and normalisation formulae for a different examination. Additionally, on May 30, the Court mandated the conduct of NEET PG 2025 in a single shift, with transparency issues pending further consideration.
Students and future NEET PG candidates should monitor official updates from NBEMS and the Supreme Court. The outcome of this review will determine future transparency practices for medical postgraduate entrance examinations.