New Delhi, Aug. 4: The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted an expert committee headed by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to examine issues arising from the challenge to the reduction of qualifying cut-off percentiles for the NEET-PG 2025-26 examination. The Supreme Court directed the panel to consult stakeholders and submit its report within eight weeks.
A Bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was hearing a public interest litigation challenging the decision to significantly reduce the qualifying cut-off percentiles for postgraduate medical admissions.
Appearing for the Union government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the committee had been constituted in compliance with its earlier directions. She sought eight weeks’ time to complete the exercise and place the report before the court.
When the Bench sought details of the committee’s composition, the Centre informed the court that it is headed by DGHS Loveneesh G. Krishna and includes 11 other members. The panel comprises senior officials from the Directorate General of Health Services, the National Board of Examinations, the National Medical Commission, the National Testing Agency, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Informatics Centre.
Taking on record the Directorate General of Health Services office order dated July 23, the Supreme Court noted that it pertained to the constitution of the expert committee. Recording the Centre’s submission, the Bench directed the committee to invite suggestions from various stakeholders, examine the issues in detail and submit its report within eight weeks. The matter has been listed for further hearing after the report is filed.
According to the DGHS order, the committee has been tasked with developing a mechanism to conduct a comprehensive audit of the existing NEET-based admission system, identify lacunae and gaps, and recommend practical and implementable solutions after consulting stakeholders.
The litigation challenges the decision to substantially lower the qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025-26 after the declaration of results and completion of two rounds of counselling.
The petition, filed by advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, contends that reducing qualifying standards to abnormally low, zero or negative percentiles is arbitrary, unconstitutional and violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. It argues that the decision compromises patient safety, public health and the integrity of medical education, while also changing the selection criteria after the admission process had begun.
Defending its decision, the Union government has stated that the reduction followed detailed deliberations by expert bodies after it was estimated that nearly 20,000 postgraduate medical seats could remain vacant nationwide. The Health Ministry said the revised cut-off made more than one lakh additional candidates eligible for the third round of counselling without affecting inter se merit and noted that a similar reduction to zero percentile had also been implemented in 2023.
In a separate affidavit, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences clarified that it had no role in the decision to reduce the qualifying percentile and stated that the revised cut-off made 95,913 additional candidates eligible for counselling.
