NEETPG 2025 in SC: Answer Key Disclosure ‘A Sham Transparency,’ Argues Petitioners’ Counsel

SC to hear the case on 1st Sept 2025; petitioners allege NEETPG NBEMS’s Question-ID format blocks fair verification for lakhs of doctors.

A writ petition titled Upendra Yadav & Anr. vs. Union of India & Ors. has been officially listed before the Supreme Court of India for 1st September 2025 as Item No.40 in Court No. 1.

The matter, registered as Writ Petition (Civil) No. 837/2025, Diary No. 48682/2025, will be heard by a Bench comprising the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India and Hon’ble Justice K. Vinod Chandran.

Filed by Dr. Upendra Yadav and others through Advocate Satyam Singh Rajput and AOR Neema, the petition challenges the NBEMS corrective notice dated 21st August 2025, regarding the format of NEETPG 2025 answer key and candidate response disclosure.

The petitioners, who appeared in the NEETPG 2025 exam held on 3rd August, allege that NBEMS’s “Question-ID only” system makes the answer key disclosure meaningless, depriving candidates of a fair opportunity to verify their responses. They argue this violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution as well as the principles of natural justice.

Also Read: SC Directs Nationwide NEETPG Counselling Overhaul, emphasis on Transparency and Merit Protection

Our correspondent talked to Advocate Satyam Singh Rajput who is representing the case says “This petition is not about re-evaluation or academic interference. It is purely about ensuring that qualified medical professionals get a fair and transparent process to verify their examination responses. The current Question-ID only disclosure defeats the very purpose of transparency mandated by the Supreme Court’s earlier orders.”

“When candidates cannot meaningfully verify their responses, the disclosure becomes an empty formality. This impacts not just individual careers but the integrity of India’s medical education system.” He Further added

The Background and Core issue:

• NBEMS issued a corrective notice mandating that answer keys and candidate responses be displayed only with reference to “Question ID Numbers” from a Master Set
• Candidates never saw this Master Set during the examination – they encountered shuffled versions of questions and options
• This format makes it virtually impossible for candidates to verify their answers or identify discrepancies

What Candidates Actually Need:

• Questions displayed in the same sequence as they appeared during their individual examination
• Their marked responses alongside correct answers
• Clear mapping to enable meaningful verification and objection filing

Legal Grounds:

The petition argues that it Violates Article 14: Unequal access, favoring only technically skilled candidates and also Article 21: Denies a fair and transparent exam process. Breaches Natural Justice: Blocks meaningful error challenges.

Supreme Court on April 29, 2025: Ordered release of raw scores, answer keys, and normalization formulae and on May 30, 2025: Directed single-shift NEETPG 2025; kept transparency issues pending.

Unlike JEE, CLAT which give candidate-wise response sheets in attempted order NBEMS’s Question-ID only disclosure is termed arbitrary and opaque.

What petitioners seek:

1. Quashing of the restrictive Para 5 of NBEMS’s corrective notice
2. Direction to publish candidate-wise mapped question papers showing: Questions in the order actually attempted, Candidate responses as marked and Correct answers and marks awarded
3. Provision of downloadable response sheets for permanent records
4. Opening of representation window with reasoned decisions on objections
5. Framing of transparent guidelines for future NEETPG examinations

The Medical Bulletin