Tamil Nadu is set to regain 40 vacant super specialty medical seats following a Supreme Court directive that also involves a reduction in the qualifying percentile for the NEET-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) examination. The state had previously surrendered 151 unfilled seats for the second round of All India Quota counselling. This development comes after a prolonged legal process concerning the allocation of these specialized medical seats.
Supreme Court Orders Reversion of Vacant Seats
Information available with The Chenab Times indicates that following the second round of All India Quota counselling, 40 previously surrendered seats will be reverted to Tamil Nadu. This decision stems from a Supreme Court order that also mandates a reduction in the NEET-SS qualifying score from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile. This adjustment is expected to make approximately 6,000 additional candidates eligible for participation in a proposed special stray vacancy round.
The case originated when Tamil Nadu had to surrender unfilled super specialty seats meant for its in-service candidates as per a Supreme Court directive. However, the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association filed a petition seeking the return of these seats to the state, arguing for the rights of in-service doctors. The Supreme Court subsequently directed that if the qualifying cut-off was reduced in subsequent counselling rounds, a portion of the remaining unfilled seats should be reverted to the state.
Addressing National Vacancies
The issue of vacant super specialty seats is not unique to Tamil Nadu, with a total of 1,857 such seats lying vacant across the country after the second round of NEET-SS counselling. These vacancies comprise 1,094 Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Magister Chirurgiae (MCh) seats, alongside 763 Doctorate of National Board-Super Speciality (DrNB-SS) seats. The Centre’s proposal to lower the qualifying percentile to 30% is a significant step aimed at addressing this nationwide shortage and ensuring better utilization of available medical training capacity.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association had actively pursued the return of the 40 in-service seats. Their legal efforts led to the Supreme Court’s consideration of the matter, ultimately resulting in the decision to revert these seats to the state. The state government now has a period of one week to conduct its own Stray Vacancy Round for these 40 seats before they could potentially re-enter the national pool if still unfilled.
The reduction in the qualifying percentile is a strategic move to broaden the pool of eligible candidates, thereby increasing the chances of filling these highly specialized medical positions. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is the authority responsible for conducting the all-India super-speciality counselling process.
Background of Seat Surrender
The dispute began after 151 seats earmarked for in-service doctors in Tamil Nadu’s government medical colleges remained vacant and were subsequently made available to the All India counselling pool. Tamil Nadu typically reserves 50 percent of its super specialty seats for doctors already serving in its health service. The state government, through its legal representatives, argued before the Supreme Court for the return of these seats, emphasizing the importance of equipping in-service doctors with super-speciality skills to benefit the public, particularly in rural areas.
Previous instances of seat surrender in Tamil Nadu, particularly in 2024 and 2025, saw unfilled seats being transferred to the All India Quota without significant opposition. However, this year’s situation led to a more contentious legal battle, highlighting the challenges in filling specialized medical seats nationwide. The National Medical Commission and the Centre had previously pointed to Tamil Nadu’s reluctance to surrender vacant seats as a delay in the NEET-SS 2025 counselling process, citing a 2022 Supreme Court decision that mandated the surrender of in-service SS seats to the All India Quota.
The current resolution aims to balance the interests of in-service doctors in Tamil Nadu with the broader national objective of filling vacant super specialty seats. The decision to lower the NEET-SS cut-off and revert seats to the state is expected to streamline the allocation process and ensure that these critical medical training positions are utilized effectively.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
