The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a plea that sought directions to cancel and reconduct Round 3 of the All India Quota Counselling for the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test-Postgraduate, 2023 (NEET PG 2023) after Round 2 of the state quota counselling has been completed in all states.
This notice was issued to the Medical Counselling Committee, four state governments – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Telangana – and others on the plea by a bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra. This plea was jointly filed by 20 candidates, reports IANS.
The bench decided to take up the matter for further hearing on October 6. However, they refused to pass any interim directions staying the All India Quota Counselling.
The apex court’s bench remarked that it is to the decision of the court, that Round 3 of the All India Quota (AIQ) Counselling will be conducted.
Instructed by advocate Gargi Srivastava, senior advocate Rana Mukherjee pleaded that despite several states yet to complete Round 2 of the AIQ counselling, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) commenced Round 3 on September 9.
It was stated that All India Round 3 is to be held only after all states have completed Round 2 to avert the unfair practice of double allotment of seats to the same candidate.
“As a consequence of the commencement of AIQ Round 3 before the completion of Round 2 of all states, candidates who are still participating in Round 2 of state counselling or have already joined seats in such ongoing Round 2 of state counselling have also been given the opportunity of participating and blocking seats in Round 3 of the AIQ counselling,” the plea said.
The plea referred to an earlier ruling that the apex court passed in November 2022, which states, …“whereby the court directed the states that were running behind schedule to complete their Round 2 of counselling by a certain date only after which AIQ Round 3 could be commenced.”
The petition also said that unless Round 2 of State Quota have not been completed and the names of joined candidates up to Round 2 have not been uploaded on the common portal, Round 3 ought not to commence, adding that candidates from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana were given an unfair advantage of viewing and selecting seats from both the state quota (Round 2) as well as Round 3 of All India Quota Counselling.
