Supreme Court Orders Inclusion of 49 HIMSR Seats in NEET PG 2025; Round 3 Counseling Paused NEW DELHI — In a major relief for medical asp...
Supreme Court Orders Inclusion of 49 HIMSR Seats in NEET PG 2025; Round 3 Counseling Paused
NEW DELHI — In a major relief for medical aspirants, the Supreme Court of India has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to immediately include 49 postgraduate medical seats from the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR) into the ongoing NEET PG 2025 counseling matrix.
The decision, aimed at preventing the wastage of valuable clinical seats, has led the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to put Round 3 choice locking on hold indefinitely.
Student Welfare Takes Precedence Over Disputes
A Bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued the order on January 27, 2026, with the directive coming into full effect today. The court intervened in a long-standing affiliation dispute between HIMSR and Jamia Hamdard University, stating that "eligible candidates should not suffer due to institutional conflicts."
The court emphasized that:
Zero Seat Wastage: The 49 seats must be available for Round 3 to ensure they are filled for the 2025-26 academic session.
Merit-Based Access: All candidates must have the opportunity to opt for these seats strictly based on their NEET merit.
Counseling Impact: Round 3 on Hold
Following the apex court's directive, the MCC released an official notification today, January 30, 2026, superseding its previous schedule.
Choice Locking Suspended: The facility, which was scheduled to close today, is now suspended until further notice.
Seat Matrix Update: The MCC is currently updating the portal to reflect the addition of the HIMSR seats and other minor adjustments.
Ongoing Legal Battles: Answer Keys and Cut-offs
The Supreme Court is also concurrently hearing other critical petitions that have kept the 2025-26 session in the spotlight:
Transparency Row: A bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha recently questioned the NBE’s policy of non-disclosure regarding question papers and answer keys, calling the lack of transparency "illogical."
Zero-Percentile Controversy: The Court is examining a PIL against the Ministry’s decision to reduce the qualifying cut-off to the 0th percentile (and even negative scores for some categories) to fill vacant seats, a move critics argue compromises medical standards.
Editor’s Note: Candidates are advised to keep a close watch on the official MCC website (mcc.nic.in) for the revised Round 3 schedule and the updated seat matrix.
