The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition seeking to prevent the surrender of 152 vacant super-specialty medical seats, reserved for in-service candidates in Tamil Nadu, to the all-India quota for the 2025–2026 academic year.
A judicial bench consisting of Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices on Wednesday to the central government, the Tamil Nadu state administration, and other involved parties, requesting their responses to the lawsuit. The case, which was initiated by the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association, has been scheduled for a detailed hearing in July.
During the proceedings, the bench observed that public healthcare is better served when government doctors acquire specialized skills, contrasting their potential impact with that of private practitioners. The justices also remarked that in-service candidates represent a distinct category for admissions, as they must simultaneously manage active professional duties and academic coursework.
Requested Legal Remedies
In its filing, the medical association requested a court order to block the transfer of the 152 unoccupied seats to the all-India quota until the second round of the national counselling process is fully completed.
Additionally, the petition urged the court to allow in-service doctors in Tamil Nadu to compete for these vacant seats during the third round, or mop-up phase, of counselling. This request is contingent on the qualifying percentile dropping below 50 percent after the conclusion of the second round of the all-India counselling.
Background And Seat Deficit
The legal challenge comes amid political efforts within the state to safeguard local medical seats. On June 4, the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin, sent a letter to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, urging the government to take active measures to stop the 152 super-specialty seats from being absorbed into the national pool.
According to the DMK leader’s letter, 215 of the 430 total super-specialty medical seats available for counselling in Tamil Nadu were reserved for in-service government doctors, based on the 2025 NEET examination results. However, only 63 of those reserved seats were successfully filled during the counselling process, leaving 152 seats vacant after the second round of counselling concluded.
