Supreme Court Orders Special NEET Counselling Amid Doctor Shortage

The Supreme Court has instructed the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to hold a special counselling session to fill the vacant medical seats for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate programs due to the severe shortage of doctors in India.

A panel of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan also instructed that the unoccupied NRI seats be reallocated to the general category quota and filled by the state admission authorities.

Medical Seats Should Not Remain Vacant

Given the situation and the severe shortage of doctors in the country, valuable medical seats mustn't be wasted. Therefore, we are eager to extend the duration as a final opportunity.

"The admission officials have been instructed to hold new special counselling sessions for the remaining vacant seats and ensure the admission process is finalized by December 30, 2024," the top court said in its order.

The court also mandated that colleges are prohibited from admitting students directly and must do so solely through state admission authorities.

The Supreme Court also specified that the special admission process should not interfere with already completed admissions and will only consider candidates on the waiting list.

The Supreme Court issued a directive in response to a plea requesting admission officers to hold special counselling sessions for seats remaining vacant after five rounds of counselling.