NEET-PG 2025 Postponed: Supreme Court Mandates Single-Shift Exam Amid Security Concerns
New Delhi, 3rd June 2025: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has postponed the NEET-PG 2025 exam, initially scheduled for June 15, in compliance with a Supreme Court order directing that the test be conducted in a single shift to ensure fairness and transparency.
The decision follows a Supreme Court verdict in Writ Petition No. 456/2025 (Aditi & Ors vs NBEMS & Ors), which challenged the NBEMS’s plan to conduct the exam in two shifts. A vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Kumar, and NK Anjaria ruled against the dual-shift format, citing concerns over parity and the integrity of the examination process.
“We direct the respondents to make necessary arrangements to hold the NEET-PG 2025 in a single shift while maintaining complete transparency and securing all exam centres,” the court stated in its order on May 30.
The NBEMS responded by confirming the postponement to facilitate logistical adjustments, including the addition of test centres and infrastructure upgrades. A new date for the exam will be announced soon.
“NEET-PG 2025, scheduled for 15.06.2025, has been postponed to arrange more test centres and meet the infrastructure requirements,” the official notification from NBEMS stated.
During the hearing, NBEMS expressed logistical difficulties, citing the need for approximately 900 additional centres to accommodate a single-shift exam for over 2.5 lakh aspirants. The counsel argued that limitations in infrastructure, such as secure Wi-Fi, computer systems, and safe testing environments, made the dual-shift model necessary.
However, the bench dismissed the argument, stating that with current technological capabilities, arranging sufficient centres across the country was feasible. “We are not prepared to accept that it is impossible to find enough centres in a country like India,” the court remarked.
NEET-PG serves as the gateway to postgraduate medical education across India. The ruling aims to ensure a level playing field by eliminating disparities in question difficulty that could arise from multiple shifts.
Despite the challenges cited by NBEMS, the court emphasized that equity in the examination process must not be compromised. The board has been granted the option to seek additional time for preparations if needed.
