
The Supreme Court of India today, Tuesday, February 4, issued notices on a plea seeking fresh conduct of the All India Quota (AIQ) Counselling Round 3 for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024, citing irregularities in the process.
A Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and K Vinod Chandran issued notices to the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Union of India, and the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) Madhya Pradesh.
The petition contends that merit-based seat allocation was compromised as AIQ Round 3 began before the completion of Round 2 of state-level counselling in certain states, particularly Madhya Pradesh. This, the petitioners argue, enabled a few state quota candidates — who otherwise wouldn’t have been eligible — to block AIQ seats while still securing better seats through the state quota, placing other meritorious candidates at a disadvantage.
Advocate Tanvi Dubey, representing the petitioners, told EdexLive, “The judges acknowledged the matter and asked when the stray round of NEET-PG 2024 counselling is scheduled. One of our prayers is to allow candidates allotted AIQ Round 3 seats to register for the stray round, as they were disadvantaged. The next hearing is on Friday, the same day as the stray round counselling.”
The plea asserts that MCC’s scheduling was inconsistent with previous Supreme Court guidelines and violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The petitioners have urged the court to either cancel AIQ Round 3 and conduct it afresh or hold a fourth round of counselling to fill leftover seats blocked by ineligible candidates. Additionally, they have sought permission for AIQ Round 3 candidates to participate in the stray round and any other necessary relief in the interest of justice.
The Supreme Court will take up the matter for hearing on Friday, February 7.