The Apex Court has put a hold the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s recent decision to cancel the state merit list made in the first round of MP National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam - Postgraduates (NEET-PG) counselling 2024.
This halt came after the high court directed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to adjust the merit list by including incentive marks in the normalised scores of the in-service candidates.
The issue started when several NEET-PG aspirants, including Dr Abhishek Shukla, challenged the state merit list demanding information about the normalisation method that is used in drafting the aforementioned list. They argued that the list unfairly lowered the ranks of the petitioners, pointing out that the students who scored higher on the All-India merit list were ranked lower in the state rankings, as per a report by Careers360.
Dr Shukla shared his concerns: "We are questioning the logic and fairness of the formula used to create the state merit list. It has affected the ranks of around 300-400 candidates, including many in-service aspirants. This list doesn’t seem to follow merit properly, and the counselling process shouldn’t proceed based on it.”
After hearing these concerns, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered NBEMS to revise the state merit list. The court clarified that incentive marks for in-service candidates should be added to their normalised scores, not their raw scores. The high court also directed that this revision be completed quickly.
However, the Supreme Court placed this order on hold, stalling the counselling process once again. This decision adds another layer of uncertainty for NEET-PG aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, who are already anxious about their future admissions.
It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold and when the counselling process will resume. For now, students can only wait for further updates from the court.
