NEET PG: SC junks plea seeking institutional level stray round to fill 1,140 vacant seats

New Delhi: In a recent update on the issue of several vacant NEET PG seats and demand for an additional counselling round, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed the plea seeking an institutional-level stray vacancy round to fill 1,140 unfilled postgraduate medical seats for the 2025-26 academic session.

The bench observed that any interference would go against its earlier orders.

Medical Dialogues reported that the petition was filed by Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson, Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors' Network (IMA-JDN), and others, highlighting that as many as 1,140 postgraduate medical seats remain vacant across the country even after all counselling rounds have been completed.

The case (W.P. (C) No. 559/2026) was heard by a division bench comprising Justices P. S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.

During the hearing today, counsel for the petitioners, Satyam Singh Rajput, informed the Court that the petitioners had modified their request. Instead of seeking a nationwide policy change, they limited their plea to allowing an institutional-level stray-vacancy round so colleges could fill the remaining seats.

He argued that this was a practical solution, especially since the government itself had admitted that seats were vacant. He also pointed out that while the authorities reduced the qualifying cut-off percentile to fill seats, they were not permitting any additional rounds to utilise the remaining vacancies.

"It’s admitted facts by the government that seats are vacant. On one hand, they want to fill the seats by lowering the cut-off marks and on the other hand, they don’t want to conduct any special rounds after their high court has passed the order for the same," Adv Singh informed the bench. 

However, the Bench declined to grant relief, observing that it could not go against its own earlier orders passed in similar matters concerning the same issue.

The respondents included the Union of India, the Directorate General of Health Services, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBE), the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)

In April 2026, the Supreme Court, while hearing a case seeking a Round 5 or Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET PG 2025 counselling after the National Medical Commission (NMC) refused to conduct the session, declined to entertain the plea, stating that no additional round would be allowed beyond the deadline.

Dismissing the writ petition, a division bench comprising Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe made it clear that it would not intervene in the counselling process at this stage. The Court specifically refused to interfere with the decision of the National Medical Commission that no Round 5 or Special Stray Vacancy Round will be conducted for NEET-PG 2025 and that admissions cannot be made beyond February 28, 2026.

The petition, filed through Advocate-on-Record Ravi Bharuka, sought directions to the authorities to conduct a Round 5 or Special Stray Vacancy Round to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats under the All-India Quota for NEET-PG MD/MS/DNB-2025 after completion of the stray vacancy round. The petition stated that seats had fallen vacant on February 28, 2026, due to non-joining, non-reporting, or refusal by allotted candidates

However, the top court declined to grant any relief, indicating that the counselling schedule had already attained finality.

Previously, the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) specified that no Special Stray Vacancy Round shall be conducted for NEET PG 2025. The PG Board of the Apex Medical Commission further stated that admissions made beyond the stipulated last date i.e., February 28, 2026, shall not be considered as valid. It confirmed that no such Special Stray Round of counselling shall be conducted as the matter has attained finality in view of the dismissal of Writ Petition(s) (Civil) No(s). 344/2026 and Special Leave to Appeal (C) No(s). 10590/2026 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

The notice stated that the issue had attained finality following dismissal of a plea before the Supreme Court seeking admission of 13 candidates by extending the last date of admission to PG seats in Rajasthan. While the Court had permitted the petitioners to file representations before the Central Government, the competent authority did not accept those representations.

The notice further stated that the Supreme Court, in Ashish Ranjan v. Union of India, had approved the NEET-PG 2025 counselling schedule on March 23, 2026, confirming February 28, 2026 as the final deadline for admissions. It clarified that any admission made in violation of the schedule prescribed by the Medical Counselling Committee under the Directorate General of Health Services would be treated as unauthorised and liable for cancellation.

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