A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenges the drastic reduction of NEET PG 2025 cut-offs. Social workers and doctors filed the petition in the Supreme Court. They argue the eligibility criteria, now set at zero percentile and negative marks for some categories, undermine national medical standards. This move, they claim, compromises both merit-based admissions and future patient safety.
Purpose of NEET PG Exam Questioned
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test – postgraduate (NEET PG) was established to standardize medical admissions. Its core objective included curbing donation-based entry. It also aimed to ensure merit-based selection in postgraduate medical education. Petitioners assert the current policy of “abnormally low levels” for qualification contradicts this foundational goal.
New Cut-off Details
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approved the revised NEET PG cut-offs. General category candidates now qualify with a zero percentile score. For reserved categories, including Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), eligibility drops further. Candidates with as low as minus 40 marks in the exam can become eligible. The NEET PG examination carries a maximum of 800 marks.
Concerns Over Merit and Patient Safety
The PIL petitioners raise significant concerns. They state lowering the cut-off jeopardizes academic standards across medical institutions. This policy also adversely affects meritorious students, particularly those from economically weaker sections. Fundamental questions about patient safety and medical ethics arise with reduced entry criteria for future doctors.
Medical Community Reacts
Medical professionals, political leaders, and aspiring doctors have voiced strong opposition. An anonymous online user remarked, “Someone who just sits for the exam will become a doctor and do surgeries.” Dr. Dhruv Chauhan highlighted the implications, stating, “candidates scoring ‘Minus – 40’ marks are also eligible to get NEET PG seats.” He noted a stark disparity between top performers and those with negative scores.
Government Rationale for Reduction
Officials provided a reason for the cut-off reduction. The move aims to fill a significant number of vacant MD and MS seats. Approximately 18,000 postgraduate medical seats remained unfilled. The National Medical Commission (NMC) had approved new MBBS and PG medical seats this year. The government had also sanctioned around 10,000 additional seats. Despite these efforts, thousands of postgraduate positions were still vacant.
Doctors Propose Alternatives
Doctors suggest alternative solutions to address seat vacancies. The Indian Doctor X account argued against lowering standards. Instead, they proposed distributing vacant seats to merit-based students at government fee rates. This approach, they stated, would eliminate the need to lower qualification criteria. They concluded that reduced cut-offs only hide systemic problems, impacting merit and patient safety.
Precedent for Cut-off Reductions
This is not the first instance of significant NEET PG cut-off reductions. In 2023, the health ministry lowered the qualifying cut-offs to zero percentile during the third round of counseling. This decision also drew widespread criticism, with some calling it a “murder of merit.” However, the ministry did not reverse its decision. In 2024, the cut-off was set at 15 percentile for general candidates and 10 percentile for reserved categories.