NEET PG 2025 | Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Seeking Special Stray Vacancy Counselling Round

The Supreme Court today dismissed a writ petition seeking directions for conducting a Round 5 or Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET-PG 2025 counselling and challenging the National Medical Commission's decision not to hold such a round.

A bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe refused to entertain the plea.

The petition, filed through Advocate-on-Record Ravi Bharuka, sought directions to the authorities to conduct a Round 5 or Special Stray Vacancy Round to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats under the All-India Quota for NEET-PG MD/MS/DNB-2025 after completion of the stray vacancy round. The petition stated that seats had fallen vacant on February 28, 2026, due to non-joining, non-reporting, or refusal by allotted candidates.

The petition also sought quashing of a notice dated April 01, 2026 issued by the Post Graduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission, to the extent it declared that no Special Stray Vacancy Round would be conducted and that any admission after February 28, 2026 would be treated as unauthorized.

The impugned notice reiterated that no Special Stray Vacancy Round would be conducted for NEET-PG 2025 and that no admission beyond the last date of February 28, 2026 would be considered valid. It directed all stakeholders, including State authorities and medical institutions, to strictly comply with the prescribed timelines and guidelines.

The notice stated that the issue had attained finality following dismissal of a plea before the Supreme Court seeking admission of 13 candidates by extending the last date of admission to PG seats in Rajasthan. While the Court had permitted the petitioners to file representations before the Central Government, the competent authority did not accept those representations.

The notice further stated that the counselling schedule for PG seats for 2025 had been ratified by the Supreme Court on March 23, 2026 in Ashish Ranjan v. Union of India and Ors, with February 28, 2026 fixed as the last date for admissions.

It clarified that any admission made in violation of the schedule prescribed by the Medical Counselling Committee under the Directorate General of Health Services would be treated as unauthorized and liable for cancellation.

The notice also directed State Governments and Union Territories to align their statutes, regulations, and counselling processes with the National Medical Commission regulations and to ensure that no independent counselling is conducted beyond the prescribed schedule.

The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the decision of the regulatory authority that no Special Stray Vacancy Round will be held for NEET-PG 2025 and that admissions cannot be made beyond February 28, 2026.

Case no. – Writ Petition (Civil) No. 472/2026

Case Title – Education Promotion Society For India and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.