The Supreme Court has directed the Medical Counselling Committee to conduct a special round of counselling to fill vacant medical seats for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate courses while noting the acute shortage of doctors in India.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan further directed that the vacant NRI seats would also be converted into the general category quota and should be filled through the State Admission Authorities. The court said in its order that the precious medical seats should not go to waste when the country is facing an acute shortage of doctors. It said the Admission Authorities are, therefore, directed to hold a fresh stray or special counselling for the seats remaining vacant and complete the admission process before 30th December 2024, in any eventuality.

The bench further directed that no college would be permitted to admit students directly and admission should be conducted only through the State Admission Authorities. It also clarified that the stray or special admission process should not disturb the admissions, which are already finalised, and the admissions would be made only from the waitlisted candidates.