SC clarifies ruling, tells Sec 32 college to resume counselling for NEET-PG

The Supreme Court (SC) has clarified on its verdict regarding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG) and asked the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 (GMCH-32), to go ahead with the pending counselling.

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On March 24, the SC dismissed an application filed by the GMCH-32 as “misconceived” and reiterated that its ruling was unambiguous. The court stated, “It was absolutely clear that residence-based reservations were not permissible for postgraduate seats in medical colleges and that only institutional preference, to a limited extent, is allowed.” The SC further instructed the GMCH-32 to proceed with the long-pending third round of NEET PG counselling, offering much-needed relief to students who feared losing an academic year.

The admission process had been stalled since the SC ruling came on January 29, which struck down domicile-based reservations for postgraduate medical seats under the state quota. While medical institutions in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh moved forward with the third round of counselling without delay, the Chandigarh Administration and the GMCH-32 repeatedly postponed the process, holding multiple meetings before eventually seeking clarification from the SC.

Although the first two rounds of counselling were conducted nationwide on schedule, the January 29 verdict led to delays in the third round, which was originally set to take place in the first week of February.

Director-Principal Dr AK Atri confirmed that despite 35 vacant state quota seats, the institute was unable to proceed due to uncertainty surrounding the court’s decision. The prolonged delay added to the anxiety of candidates awaiting admission.

However, the SC’s latest directive has removed ambiguity, reaffirming that admissions should follow a 50 per cent all-India quota and a 50 per cent institutional quota. With this clarity, the GMCH-32 can now proceed with filling the remaining 38 seats.

Dr Atri convened a meeting with the Admission Council today and submitted the minutes to Ajay Chagti, Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, to take the final decision. The admission process is expected to resume within the next few days, paving the way for the stray round, which is typically held after the third round of counselling.

“We were worried that this delay would cost us a year, but now we finally have clarity,” said a candidate. Meanwhile, all-India quota admissions, including the stray round, have concluded, with successful candidates joining their respective colleges.