Supreme Court Rules Out NEET SS 2024 Exam: Petition for Examination Dismissed

The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition challenging the National Medical Council’s (NMC) decision to cancel the NEET SS (Super Specialty) exam for this year. The petition, which contested the NMC's decision to postpone the NEET SS 2024 exam until February 2025, was rejected by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. The court stated that there was no valid reason to intervene in the matter.

The Supreme Court also refused to intervene in the NMC’s decision to delay the NEET SS 2024 exam. The NMC had stated that the postponement was necessary to accommodate the 2021 PG medical batch, whose curriculum had commenced in January 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The court directed the NMC to announce the examination schedule within 30 days.

Background of the Petition

The petition challenging the NMC’s decision was filed by 13 doctors under Article 32 of the Constitution. They argued against the cancellation of the NEET SS 2024 exam.

The bench, which included CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Mishra, noted that data from the NMC indicated that at least 40% of candidates for the NEET SS exam are from the preceding batch. The bench reasoned that postponing the exam to the next year would not disadvantage those who have already participated in previous NEET SS exams. However, if the exam were held this year, students from the 2021 PG batch, who would complete their courses in January 2025, would miss their opportunity. The court deemed the NMC’s decision to be fair and not arbitrary, thus no intervention was warranted.