NEET PG 2023: SC issues notice on plea seeking cancellation of All India Quota Counselling Round 3

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea seeking directions to cancel and reconduct Round 3 of the All India Quota Counselling for 2023 NEET PG after all states have completed their respective Round 2 of the state quota counselling.

A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra issued notice to the Medical Counselling Committee, four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana -- and others on a plea jointly filed by 20 candidates.

The bench refused to pass any interim directions staying the All India Quota Counselling but decided to take up the matter for further hearing on October 6.

It orally remarked that the Round-3 of the All India Quota (AIQ) Counselling will be subjected to the decision of the court.

Senior advocate Rana Mukherjee, instructed by advocate Gargi Srivastava, pleaded that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) commenced Round 3 of AIQ counselling on September 9 when several states are yet to complete Round 2.

It was stated that All India Round 3 is to be held only after all states have completed Round 2 to avert the unfair practice of double allotment of seats to the same candidate.

“As a consequence of the commencement of AIQ Round 3 before the completion of Round 2 of all states, candidates who are still participating in Round 2 of state counselling or have already joined seats in such ongoing Round 2 of state counselling have also been given the opportunity of participating and blocking seats in Round 3 of the AIQ counselling,” the plea said.

It also referred to an earlier decision of the top court passed in November 2022 “whereby the court directed the states that were running behind schedule to complete their Round 2 of counselling by a certain date only after which AIQ Round 3 could be commenced.”

The petition said that unless Round 2 of State Quota have not been completed and the names of joined candidates up to Round 2 have not been uploaded on the common portal, Round-3 ought not to commence, adding that candidates from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana were given an unfair advantage of viewing and selecting seats from both the state quota (Round 2) as well as Round 3 of All India Quota Counselling.