The Supreme Court today dismissed a writ petition seeking directions to conduct Round 5 or Special Missed Vacancy Round for NEET-PG 2025 counseling and questioned the National Medical Commission’s decision not to conduct such round.
A bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe refused to consider the plea.
The petition, filed through registered advocate Ravi Bharuka, sought directions to the authorities to conduct a Round 5 or Special Round of Lost Vacancies to fill up the vacant postgraduate medical posts under the All India Quota for NEET-PG MD/MS/DNB-2025 after completing the round of lost vacancies. The petition stated that the seats had become vacant on February 28, 2026 due to failure of allotted candidates to join, report or refuse.
The petition also sought to quash a notice dated April 1, 2026 issued by the Postgraduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission, to the extent that it stated that no Special Round of Lost Vacancies would be held and that any admission after February 28, 2026 would be treated as unauthorized.
The impugned notice reiterated that no Special Round of Lost Vacancies would be held for NEET-PG 2025 and no admission beyond the last date of February 28, 2026 would be considered valid. He directed all stakeholders, including state authorities and medical institutions, to strictly adhere to the prescribed timelines and guidelines.
The notice said the matter had come to an end following the 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. Although the Court had allowed the petitioners to file complaints with the Central Government, the competent authority did not accept these complaints.
The notice further said that the counseling schedule for PG seats for 2025 had been upheld by the Supreme Court on March 23, 2026 in Ashish Ranjan v. Union of India and Ors, fixing February 28, 2026 as the last date for admissions.
He clarified that any admission made in violation of the schedule established by the Medical Advisory Committee under the Directorate General of Health Services would be treated as unauthorized and subject to cancellation.
The advisory also directed state governments and Union Territories to align their statutes, regulations and counseling processes with the regulations of the National Medical Commission and ensure that no independent counseling is carried out beyond the prescribed schedule.
The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the decision of the regulatory authority that no Special Round of Lost Vacancies will be held for NEET-PG 2025 and admissions cannot be held beyond February 28, 2026.
Case no. – Writ Petition (Civil) No. 472/2026
Case Title: Society for Promotion of Education for India and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.
