SC cracks down on NEET-PG seat blocking: Private medical colleges must reveal fees upfront

In a major push for transparency and fairness in postgraduate medical admissions, the Supreme Court of India has issued sweeping directions to curb the malpractice of seat blocking under NEET-PG. In a landmark order dated April 29, the court mandated that all private and deemed universities must disclose their complete fee structure, including tuition, hostel, caution deposit, and miscellaneous charges, before the counselling process begins.

The bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that seat blocking not only distorts the true availability of seats but also undermines the integrity of the admission process. The court called out the issue as more than a procedural lapse, describing it as a symptom of fragmented governance, poor transparency, and weak enforcement.

Despite efforts by regulators to curb the practice through technical restrictions and disincentives, several loopholes remain. These include the absence of real-time seat availability updates, poor coordination among counselling authorities, and inconsistent implementation of rules across institutions.

To address this, the Supreme Court directed the creation of a nationally synchronized counselling calendar. This would ensure that All India Quota and state counselling rounds are aligned, reducing overlaps and opportunities for manipulation. Additionally, the court ordered the National Medical Commission to establish a centralised fee regulation mechanism to bring uniformity and predictability to fee disclosures.

Strict penalties were also outlined for individuals and institutions involved in seat blocking. These include forfeiture of security deposits, disqualification from future NEET-PG examinations, and blacklisting of offending colleges.

The court further allowed candidates already admitted to be eligible for seat upgrades after the second counselling round — without reopening admissions to new applicants. It also called for the mandatory publication of raw scores, answer keys, and normalisation formulas to ensure greater transparency in exams conducted across multiple shifts.

The order was passed in response to a plea by the Uttar Pradesh government and the Director General of Medical Education & Training, challenging a 2018 Allahabad High Court ruling on seat blocking and compensation for affected students.