In a significant move to enhance transparency in the NEET-PG counselling process, the Supreme Court (SC) has directed authorities to publish the raw scores, answer keys, and normalisation formulae used in multi-shift NEET-PG examinations.

The order was issued by a bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, as part of a broader push to ensure fairness and curb malpractice in postgraduate medical admissions.

The court emphasised that publication of these details is essential due to the multi-shift nature of NEET-PG, where different sets of questions are administered across days. To account for varying difficulty levels across shifts, a normalisation formula is applied to standardise scores and determine rankings. Transparency in this process, the court said, is critical to maintaining integrity in the merit list.

This direction was issued in response to an appeal by the state of Uttar Pradesh, which had challenged a 2018 judgment by the Allahabad High Court. The SC’s broader directives now aim to bring uniformity and accountability to the NEET-PG counselling system nationwide.

Among the major reforms laid down:

Aadhaar-based seat tracking will be implemented to prevent multiple seat holdings and identity fraud.

All private and deemed universities must disclose tuition fees, hostel charges, caution deposits, and other costs before counselling begins.

A Centralised Fee Regulation Framework, under the National Medical Commission (NMC), will monitor and standardise fee structures across institutions.

The Court allowed upgrade options post Round 2 for admitted candidates to shift to better seats without reopening counselling to new entrants.

A nationally synchronised counselling calendar is to be introduced to align All India Quota (AIQ) and state counselling rounds, thereby preventing seat-blocking across systems.

To discourage malpractice, the SC imposed strict penalties for seat-blocking, including:

Forfeiture of the security deposit.

Disqualification from future NEET-PG attempts for repeat offenders.

Blacklisting of institutions found complicit in irregularities.

The Court held that state authorities and Directors of Medical Education (DMEs) would be held accountable under contempt or disciplinary proceedings if they violated counselling rules or timelines.

A Uniform Counselling Conduct Code will be introduced to streamline eligibility criteria, mop-up rounds, seat withdrawal protocols, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

Finally, a third-party oversight body under the NMC will conduct annual audits to ensure data compliance and procedural fairness in the NEET-PG counselling process.