NEET PG 2025 Controversy: A recent decision to cut down the cut-offs for NEET PG 2025 has sparked one of the most heated debates in recent years about merit and the governance of medical education in India. The NBEMS has cut down the eligibility cut-offs with the approval of the Centre, and now candidates with zero or negative scores are also eligible to take part in Round 3 counselling.
The decision, aimed at filling up thousands of empty seats in postgraduate courses, has invited severe criticism from doctors’ bodies, residents, and candidates. Critics argue that administrative convenience is being prioritised over academic standards and patient safety. Protests and a public interest litigation (PIL) initially challenged the policy, questioning its fairness, transparency, and potential impact on patient care.
As per NBEMS, the percentiles for general and EWS candidates were reduced from 50th to 7th, General-PwBD from 45th to 5th, and for SC, ST, and OBC candidates to 0th percentile, which means that candidates with negative scores can also qualify. It was made clear that the change will only increase the number of candidates eligible for counselling and will not affect the original rank of candidates in the NEET PG exam. The cut-off was reduced to fill up the vacant seats in postgraduate courses to ensure that the teaching hospitals are functional.
However, medical organisations have warned that such cuts affect merit and could compromise patient safety. FAIMA termed the decision “unprecedented and illogical,” while FORDA termed it as making admissions “a lottery” because the decision could see lower-scoring candidates fare better in private colleges.
The issue escalated to the Delhi High Court, which recently dismissed the PIL challenging the revision of the cut-off. The bench stated that NEET-PG is an examination that ranks MBBS pass-outs, who are already licensed to practice allopathy, and wondered whether the public interest was served by leaving seats vacant in postgraduate courses. The authorities clarified that it is legal to reduce cut-offs to fill up vacant seats and that the third counselling session based on the revised cut-off had already begun.
Although counselling is still ongoing, the issue highlights the important challenge of balancing the need to fill empty seats with the need to maintain academic standards in the Indian medical education sector.
