The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and other regulatory bodies concerning a plea challenging the drastic NEET PG cut-off reduction for the 2025-26 academic session. Specifically, the bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe sought responses from the Union of India, NBEMS, and the National Medical Commission. The petitioners filed the plea, arguing the lowered cut-off violates Articles 14 and 21. They claim this compromise impacts the standards of postgraduate medical education. The matter will be heard next on February 6.
The NBEMS implemented the new cut-offs to fill over 18,000 vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country. Consequently, this revision drastically lowered the qualifying percentiles for the third round of counselling. The cut-off for the general category dropped from the 50th to the 7th percentile. Furthermore, the reserved categories saw a reduction from the 40th percentile all the way to zero. This change makes candidates scoring as low as minus 40 out of 800 eligible for counselling.
Legal Challenge Against NEET PG Cut-off Reduction
The main contention of the plea is that eligibility criteria cannot be altered after the selection process commences. Aspirants prepared and made career choices based on the originally notified cut-offs, thereby making the reduction seem arbitrary. The petition clearly highlights that postgraduate medical education cannot be viewed merely as a commercial exercise. Instead, regulatory authorities must act to prevent the dilution of academic standards. In summary, several medical community sections have termed the NBEMS’s decision as both unprecedented and illogical for all categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What prompted the NBEMS to reduce the NEET PG 2025 cut-off?
The NBEMS revised the qualifying percentiles due to over 18,000 postgraduate medical seats remaining vacant across the country.
Q2: By how much were the cut-offs reduced for the different categories?
The cut-off for the General Category was reduced from the 50th percentile to the 7th percentile. For Reserved Categories (SC/ST/OBC), the cut-off was reduced from the 40th percentile to the 0th percentile, allowing scores as low as minus 40.
Q3: What constitutional violation do the petitioners cite?
The plea contends that the cut-off reduction violates Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution, arguing that it compromises patient safety and public health. Ensuring high standards requires robust training, such as through a Foundation Comprehensive Training For New Doctor program.
References
- SC notice to Centre on plea challenging NBEMS’s decision to reduce NEET PGcut-off percentile – ETHealthworld
- Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response to plea challenging reduction of NEET-PG 2025 cut-off – Bar and Bench
- SC issues notice to Centre on plea against reduction of NEET PG cut off – newindianexpress.com
- Supreme Court issues notice to NBE, NMC on plea challenging NEET PG 2025 reduced cutoff – Medical Dialogues
- Notice – Reduction of percentile for NEET-PG 2025 13-01-2026 – nbems
- SC Examines PIL Against Reduced NEET PG 2025 Cutoff, Next Hearing on Feb 6 | Sartha News
Disclaimer: This article was automatically generated from publicly available sources and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. OC Academy does not exercise editorial control or claim authorship over this content. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider and refer to current local and national clinical guidelines.