Supreme Court’s Intervention in NEET PG 2024 Counselling:
The Supreme Court of India has taken action on the NEET-PG 2024 counselling process, issuing a notice regarding a plea that seeks a fresh All India Counselling Round 3 counselling due to alleged irregularities in Madhya Pradesh State Round 2.
The case has raised serious concerns about seat blocking, mismanagement, and delays in the NEET PG admission process, affecting thousands of medical aspirants across India.
The NEET PG 2024 Counselling Issue Explained:
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and K Vinod Chandran heard a petition filed by three NEET PG 2024 candidates, and Senior Advocate K Parmeswar represented. The petitioners argued that:
Madhya Pradesh (MP) State Round 2 counselling was delayed, overlapping with All India Counselling Round 3 of NEET PG 2024.
Because of this delay, vacated seats from All India Counselling Round 2 were not returned in time for All India Counselling Round 3, leading to a significant reduction in available seats.
Candidates were forced into less-preferred specializations due to fewer available seats in All India Counselling Round 3.
As per existing rules, the petitioners are denied the opportunity to participate in the stray vacancy round, where better seats would be available.
Seat Blocking Allegations in NEET PG 2024:
The petitioners have also highlighted systemic failures and seat blocking issues in the NEET PG 2024 counselling process:
Candidates who secured seats in MP State Round 2 had already taken seats in All India Counselling Round 2, but later vacated them for state seats.
These vacated All india counselling seats did not return in time for All india counselling Round 3, reducing the number of available seats unfairly.
Also read: Stray Vacancy Round in NEET PG: What is Stray Vacancy Round?
Petitioners’ Grievance: Unfair Advantage in All India Counselling Round 3
The petitioners argued that the seats blocked by candidates from various states during All India Counselling Round 3 were not available for other deserving candidates, including themselves. If All india counselling Round 3 had been conducted after the completion of State Round 2 counselling for all states, it would have prevented certain candidates from gaining an undue advantage.
These candidates were able to get allotted seats in All india counselling Round 3 and later leave them while simultaneously participating in State Round 2.
According to the petitioners, the seats blocked by these candidates could have been allocated to other meritorious students who would have otherwise been able to secure those seats.
The petitioners claimed that this situation denied them a fair opportunity to participate in All India Counselling Round 3, which they argued violated their fundamental rights, particularly under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
They emphasized that, as per the existing counselling structure, state rounds should begin only after the completion of the corresponding All india counselling rounds, given the higher demand for All india counselling seats.
The sequence should ideally be All india counselling Round 1, State Round 1, All india counselling Round 2, State Round 2, and so on.
This sequence was disrupted in states like Madhya Pradesh, where Round 2 was not completed before All india counselling Round 3 commenced, leading to an unfair allocation of seats.
What Are NEET PG Candidates Demanding?
The petitioners have put forward the following requests to rectify the NEET PG 2024 seat allocation process:
Cancel All India Counselling Round 3 and conduct a fresh counselling session to ensure fairness in seat allotment.
Introduce a fourth round of NEET PG counselling to accommodate the seats that were vacated but not returned in time.
Permit All India Counselling Round 3 allotted candidates to participate in the stray vacancy round, allowing them a fair chance at better seats.
Supreme Court’s Response to the NEET PG 2024 Counselling Dispute:
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Central Government.
The matter is set for its next hearing on February 7, 2025, where further deliberations will take place.
NEET PG 2024 Counselling Timeline Conflict:
The petitioners have cited the Anjana Chari case as a precedent, arguing that the established NEET PG counselling timeline was not adhered to. The correct sequence for NEET PG counselling is as follows:
All India Counselling Round 1 → State Round 1
All India Counselling Round 2 → State Round 2
All India Counselling Round 3 → State Round 3
However, Madhya Pradesh failed to complete State Round 2 before All India Counselling Round 3 began, disrupting the entire seat allocation process. In contrast, Rajasthan successfully sought an extension from MCC, ensuring a smoother transition between rounds, which MP failed to do.
Impact on Seats and the Stray Round Participation:
The petitioners’ counsel explained that the early start of All india counselling Round 3 resulted in complications for candidates from Madhya Pradesh who had participated in All india counselling Round 1 and occupied seats.
When the state round began, these candidates left their seats, which ideally should have been covered in All india counselling Round 3.
However, because All india counselling Round 3 had already started, those seats were not made available, resulting in fewer seats and more subject categories further down the list.
The petitioners argued that, as a consequence, better seats such as General Medicine, which they would have ideally received, were replaced with less sought-after options.
Also, the counsel pointed out that since the petitioners had participated and secured seats in All india counselling Round 3, they were ineligible for the stray round, where more competitive seats were being allocated.
Acknowledging that the stray round had not yet concluded, the Apex Court bench issued a notice to the authorities, including the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), and scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 7, 2025.
Implications of the NEET PG 2024 Case and What Lies Ahead:
The NEET PG case has highlighted significant flaws in the MCC All India Counselling process, bringing into focus issues like seat blocking, mismanagement, and unfair seat distribution.
The Supreme Court’s involvement offers a glimmer of hope to affected candidates, as they await clarity on whether a fresh All India Counselling Round 3 or an additional fourth round of counselling will be introduced.
For the latest updates on the NEET PG 2024 counselling case, follow ZyNerd and stay informed about Supreme Court proceedings, MCC guidelines, and upcoming NEET PG counselling rounds.
