NEET- SS | Supreme Court Directs Tamil Nadu To Surrender 151 Vacant Super Speciality Medical Seats To All India Quota

The Supreme Court recently directed the State of Tamil Nadu to intimate the Director General of Health Services about 151 vacant super speciality medical seats that remained unfilled so that they could be filled through the All India merit list.

The Court disposed of a writ petition seeking surrender of unfilled DM and M.Ch seats from the Tamil Nadu State Quota to the All India Quota in the ongoing NEET-SS 2025 counselling process.

A bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe passed the order after noting that all parties agreed that the matter could be disposed of in terms of the Court's earlier order in N. Karthikeyan & Ors. v. State of Tamil Nadu.

By that order, Tamil Nadu had been permitted to fill seats reserved under a Government Order dated November 7, 2020 and any seats remaining unfilled after the prescribed period could be filled by the Union Government on the basis of the All India merit list. The 2022 order had directed the State to inform the Union Government about unfilled in-service category seats after completing its admissions process.

Thus, following the earlier order, the Court directed, “The State of Tamil Nadu will take necessary steps to intimate the Director General of Health Services about the 151 vacant seats that have remained unfilled. 5. With these directions, the Writ Petition stands disposed of.”.

The petitioners had sought directions to the State of Tamil Nadu to surrender all unfilled super speciality seats from its State Quota to the All India Quota and for the authorities to conduct the second round of NEET-SS 2025 counselling by including those seats. In the alternative, they sought an additional round of counselling incorporating the reverted seats and permitting all eligible candidates to participate on the basis of the All India Merit List.

In the present case, the Court recorded the submission of Additional Solicitor General S.D. Sanjay that the cut-off applicable on the date of counselling would be maintained unless it became necessary to vary it.

Thus, the Court directed the State of Tamil Nadu to take necessary steps to inform the Director General of Health Services about the 151 vacant seats that had remained unfilled.

The Court clarified that the order was being passed in the facts and circumstances of the case and would not be treated as a precedent.

Case no. – Writ Petition (Civil) No. 415 of 2026

Case Title – Tamilvani & Ors. v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors.