Supreme Court Urges Centre to Revisit NEET-SS Qualifying Percentile

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to take a fresh look at its decision against reducing the qualifying percentile for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) seats this year, voicing disquiet over the large number of such seats that go vacant every year.

A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was hearing a petition by the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association, which has challenged the diversion of 152 vacant super-speciality seats reserved for in-service government doctors in the State to the All-India Quota. The association has also sought protection of Tamil Nadu's in-service reservation policy until a final call is taken on lowering the NEET-SS qualifying percentile.

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the government was prepared to hold a stray round to fill the vacant NEET-SS seats, but had chosen not to bring down the qualifying percentile. She said the unfilled seats would revert to States such as Tamil Nadu.

Senior advocate P. Wilson, representing the petitioners, submitted that 40 seats remained vacant in Tamil Nadu and should be returned to the State. He argued that several eligible candidates — largely in-service government doctors posted in rural areas — were waiting for the percentile to be reduced, and that super-speciality seats were too valuable to be left unfilled.

The Bench observed that the persistence of unfilled seats made the argument for lowering the qualifying percentile fairly strong. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also appearing for Tamil Nadu, said the State wanted the vacant seats to revert to it in full and urged the court to reduce the cut-off.

Justice Narasimha advised the law officer to reflect further on the possibility of bringing down the percentile and to consult other members of the Bar on the question. Bhati then asked the court to include a direction asking the government to reconsider the matter and examine a reduction to the extent possible. She noted that experts held differing views on the issue, and pointed out that the qualifying percentile had been reduced to zero in earlier years.

The court posted the matter for further hearing and directions on September 17.