Karnataka NEET 2025 admissions: HC delivers split verdict for round 3

Bengaluru: While considering the petitions challenging the provisional allotment list for the third round of the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Counselling, prepared by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court delivered divergent verdicts.

The third round of the NEET counselling for admission to undergraduate medical and dental seats was challenged in the High Court as 443 new seats were added during the process.

TOI has reported that while considering the matter, Justice Jayant Banerji set aside the provisional list published by KEA on October 24 and issued directions for conducting the third round of counselling afresh, strictly in accordance with the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Bhavana Tiwari. On the other hand, Justice KV Aravind dismissed the petitions filed by the aggrieved students.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a batch of students had filed a plea before the High Court, questioning the procedure adopted by KEA for not allowing students who had secured a medical seat in the first or second round and had joined the college to claim vacant seats available in other colleges. Previously, the Karnataka High Court had directed the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) not to publish the final allotment of seats to medical and dental courses in the third round of counselling till November 3, 2025.

Earlier, the HC bench had issued an interim direction not to finalise the provisionally allotted seats for the third round of counselling. Recently, during the hearing of the case on Tuesday, the High Court asked the National Medical Commission (NMC) to give details of the number of MBBS seats increased across the country and in Karnataka. Further, the court asked the counsel for NMC and KEA to submit the details of the MBBS seats added to the All India Quota (AIQ) seats from the increased seats in medical colleges across Karnataka after KEA started the counselling process.

Also Read: Do not finalise round 3 MBBS, BDS seat allotment until November 3: HC directs KEA

The matter was listed for further hearing on November 19, and Justice Jayant Banerji set aside the provisional list published on Oct 24 and directed KEA to conduct the third round of counselling afresh.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, Justice Banerji noted that the introduction of new seats during the counselling process and permitting of fresh registrations against those seats had "rendered the counselling process opaque, with allegations being raised of a lack of merit-based seat allotments."

KEA had admitted that fresh registrations for the new seats were allowed even though there were no statutory provisions for doing so. At this outset, Justice Banerji noted, "KEA shall conclude the two stages of the 3rd round of counselling, and the final list of seat allotment shall be endeavoured to be declared no later than Dec 2, 2025."

Meanwhile, the petitions filed by the aggrieved students were dismissed by Justice KV Aravind. He observed that all the petitioners had entered their options in round three of the counselling for nine colleges and were unsuccessful, either due to their own preference rankings or because of the unavailability of preferred seats.

While one group of petitioners had sought a direction to participate in all available vacancies of the third round, anothr group sought a direction to participate in vacancies arising from option alterations by round 1 and round 2 candidates against the newly added seats. Justice KB Aravind held both prayers not entertainable and pointed out that the candidates admitted in round 2 were not permitted to participate in round 3 except against newly added seats, and this condition was accepted by the candidates when making their option entries.

Also Read: Give details on increased MBBS seats: Karnataka HC asks NMC