The Madhya Pradesh Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has announced the suspension of NEET-PG 2024 state counselling following a high court directive to redraw the state merit list for in-service candidates. 

The notice, dated today, December 12, was issued after the high court quashed the merit list on Monday, December 9, citing procedural inconsistencies.

The court order, delivered in W.P. No. 37078 of 2024 (Dr Abhishek Shukla and Others vs. State of Madhya Pradesh), addressed concerns raised by petitioners over the allocation of incentivised marks. 

These marks, awarded to in-service candidates for rural and hard area postings, were added to raw scores before normalisation, leading to skewed rankings.

The court found the methodology flawed, as it compounded advantages for certain candidates and resulted in inconsistencies between the state-specific and all-India merit lists. It directed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to prepare a fresh state merit list by applying incentivised marks to normalised scores, ensuring equity across all candidates.

In its notice, the DME stated that a new counselling schedule will be announced once the revised merit list is finalised. The move has left thousands of aspirants awaiting clarity on their ranks and subsequent seat allocations.

The decision underscores the importance of transparent and equitable evaluation systems, particularly in exams as competitive and career-defining as NEET-PG. Candidates are advised to monitor official updates via the DME’s website for further developments.