Telangana High Court Seeks Government Response on Vacant Medical Seats
The Telangana High Court has formally requested responses from the Government of India, the National Medical Commission, and the Medical Counselling Committee regarding a significant petition. This petition seeks judicial directions to conduct a mop-up counselling round specifically to fill 377 postgraduate medical seats that are projected to remain vacant in Telangana for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year.
Petition Filed by Medical College Association
The court issued these directions while hearing a petition filed by the Telangana Private Medical and Dental College Managements Association. The association has legally challenged the failure of the relevant authorities to extend the admission deadline for postgraduate medical courses. According to the association's submission, a substantial number of seats are going to waste. They claim that approximately 2,500 postgraduate medical seats are lying vacant across the entire country. Within Telangana alone, the association highlighted 377 unfilled seats. This includes 125 seats under the competent authority quota and a further 252 seats under the management quota, all remaining vacant after the completion of the existing, scheduled counselling rounds.
Court Proceedings and Observations
A bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin heard the petition on March 10. During the hearing, the bench acknowledged a related legal issue currently pending before the Supreme Court. This issue concerns the potential reduction of the percentile score required for candidates to participate in the postgraduate counselling process. The High Court bench observed that the matter before it would be taken up for further consideration only after the concerned authorities have explained their official position. Furthermore, the bench noted it would await the final outcome of the related case pending in the apex court. Consequently, the case has been scheduled for its next hearing on March 26.
Arguments Presented by the Petitioner
Representing the petitioners, counsel K Vivek Reddy presented a detailed argument to the court. He submitted that despite multiple formal representations made to the authorities—including direct appeals to the Medical Counselling Committee and the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences—no decisive action had been taken. Specifically, no decision was made to extend the admission schedule or to authorize an additional round of counselling. Reddy argued that this inaction is leading to the wastage of highly valuable medical seats and constitutes a loss of critical national resources.
The counsel further elaborated that the request for an extension had already been forwarded by the state government itself. Additionally, the university had formally sought an extension of time from the Medical Counselling Committee. The purpose of this request was to conduct an extra counselling round to fill the remaining vacancies, an action framed as being in the larger interest of eligible candidates. Relying on several established rulings from the Supreme Court, the petitioners contended that Indian courts have repeatedly and emphatically stated that medical seats should not be permitted to go vacant when there are eligible and willing candidates available to fill them.
Responses from Government and Regulatory Bodies
During the proceedings, the Union Government's representative submitted that the core issue regarding the reduction of the percentile score for counselling eligibility is currently sub judice before the Supreme Court. In a contrasting stance, counsel representing the National Medical Commission (NMC) opposed the petition. Citing precedent rulings from higher courts, the NMC's counsel argued that courts have consistently held that permitting continuous, extended rounds of counselling is not permissible. Such extensions, they contended, violate the prescribed and structured academic time schedule established for these admissions.
The NMC counsel emphasized, "Just because some seats are going vacant, this continuous exercise cannot be permitted. It will also be detrimental to the integrity and timely completion of the entire academic course." This opposition sets the stage for a legal debate on balancing administrative schedules with the optimal utilization of educational resources.
