Will NEET-PG 2024 Answer Key Be Released By NBEMS? Here’s What You Should Know

New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) conducted the NEET-PG 2024 on August 11, with nearly two lakh candidates appearing for this crucial medical entrance exam. Historically, NBEMS does not release the NEET-PG answer key, leaving many candidates in suspense as they await their results. This year, a key question lingers: Will NBEMS make an exception and release the provisional answer key? NBE has confirmed to indianexpress.com that there is no plan to release the answer key, which has been the norm followed by the organisation since the beginning. While the National Board of Examination for Medical Science (NBEMS) on August 23 released the NEET PG 2024 results, the students are still talking about it.

Legal Battle for Transparency

The uncertainty surrounding the release of the NEET-PG answer key has become a significant concern for many candidates, particularly in light of ongoing legal proceedings. In June 2024, a NEET-PG candidate filed a petition with the Supreme Court, requesting that it direct NBEMS to release the NEET-PG answer key. The petitioner challenged NBEMS's longstanding refusal to provide access to the question paper, answer key, and answer sheets. Furthermore, the petitioner sought the court’s intervention to allow candidates to apply for re-evaluation of their scores.

The petitioner’s argument highlights a critical disparity between NEET-PG and other major competitive exams like IIT-JEE, CMAT, CLAT, and various judicial service exams, where answer keys are routinely provided to candidates. The NEET-UG exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), also offers answer keys, raising questions about why NEET-PG candidates are denied similar access.

Citing a Landmark Judgment

In support of their case, the petitioner referenced the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in CBSE And Anr. v. Aditya Bandhopadhyay And Ors (2011), which established that answer sheets are considered information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. According to this ruling, candidates have the right to access their answer sheets, and since NBEMS is not exempt from the RTI Act under Section 24, it cannot legally deny this access.

A court case to note

In 2022, two NEET PG candidates filed a petition in the Supreme Court after they found a mismatch in their NEET PG scores that year and the NBEMS did not allow them to re-check their results. 

The petition mentioned the following points:

• NBE’s refusal to allow the petitioners’ their answer papers violated the set norms for all competitive exams

• There were serious discrepancies in the scores of the candidates who appeared for NEET PG in 2021 and 2022

NBEMS’s Stance and the Ongoing Case

Despite the petitioner's arguments, NBEMS has maintained its position against releasing the NEET-PG answer key. The petition specifically challenges Clauses 9.7 and 10.4 of the NEET-PG Information Bulletin, which explicitly state that NBEMS will not share any examination content, including answer keys and answer sheets, and that there will be no re-evaluation or rechecking of responses. The petitioner argues that these clauses are unconstitutional and infringe upon candidates' rights.

On June 11, 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed similar petitions seeking the release of answer sheets, answer keys, and re-evaluation for the 2021 and 2022 NEET-PG exams. However, the court allowed the possibility of filing a fresh petition if grievances persisted regarding the NEET-PG 2024 exam. In the current case, the Supreme Court has asked NBEMS, along with the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and other relevant authorities, to submit their responses to the petition. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 8, 2024, with the vacation bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and S.V.N. Bhatti issuing a notice for the respondents to file their counter affidavits.

Will the Answer Key Be Released?

As of now, there has been no official directive from the Supreme Court compelling NBEMS to release the NEET-PG answer key. Candidates are advised to remain patient and await further developments in the case. At present, NBEMS has made no announcement regarding the release of the answer key, leaving the situation in a state of uncertainty.