After nearly five months of delay, the Supreme Court has directed the expedited completion of the NEET Super Speciality (SS) Counselling 2025, bringing relief to thousands of medical aspirants awaiting admissions to DM, MCh, and DrNB courses.
Welcoming the decision, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) urged the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to implement the court's directions without any further delay.
According to FAIMA, the Supreme Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to restore 151 NEET SS in-service seats by the evening of July 29. The court has also instructed the MCC to complete the counselling process within two weeks.
In a post on X, FAIMA appealed for the immediate resumption of the counselling process, stating, "We sincerely appeal to the MCC to resume NEET SS 2025 counselling immediately and implement the Hon'ble Court's directions without any further delay. Thousands of specialist doctors have already waited for months, and every additional delay impacts both their careers and patient care."
Why was the counselling delayed?
The NEET SS 2025 counselling process had been stalled due to a legal dispute before the Supreme Court concerning 151 vacant in-service super-speciality seats in Tamil Nadu and issues related to the allocation of seats between the state quota and the All India Quota.
The prolonged litigation left thousands of candidates across the country in uncertainty, delaying admissions and the commencement of academic sessions.
FAIMA sought urgent intervention
Amid the prolonged deadlock, FAIMA approached the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing and resolution of the matter. In its representation to the court registry, the doctors' body highlighted the adverse impact of the delay on both aspirants and the healthcare system.
FAIMA stated that many young specialist doctors remained unemployed or without academic engagement solely because the counselling process had not been completed. It added that the uncertainty had caused significant professional, financial, and psychological hardship for candidates.
The association also pointed out that the delay had affected healthcare institutions nationwide, which are awaiting the joining of super-speciality residents who play a crucial role in patient care, emergency services, teaching, and research.
With the Supreme Court now directing the restoration of the disputed seats and setting a two-week deadline for completing the counselling process, candidates are expected to receive clarity on admissions in the coming days.
NEET SS 2025 Round 2 Counselling: Key Timeline
Round 1 Counselling: March 10 to March 25, 2026 (Completed)
Round 2 Registration: Began on March 28, 2026; the registration portal remains open until further orders.
Choice Filling for Round 2: Initially scheduled for April 2026, the process was paused due to the ongoing legal dispute and is expected to resume soon.
Seat Matrix Revision: In April 2026, the seat matrix was updated with 18 additional seats and one seat removed. Following the Supreme Court's order, 151 in-service seats have now been restored.
Round 2 Seat Allotment Result: Yet to be announced; expected after the revised counselling schedule is released.
Reporting to Colleges and Counselling Completion: The process had been postponed but is now expected to conclude within two weeks, in line with the Supreme Court's directions.
151 Super Speciality Seats Restored
The restoration of 151 DM and MCh seats to the central counselling pool is expected to significantly alter the Round 2 seat matrix. Since these seats are part of highly sought-after super-speciality programmes, candidates may have more admission opportunities during the ongoing counselling process.
Applicants who had already submitted their choices are advised to carefully review the revised seat matrix once it is published, as they may wish to modify their preferences based on the newly available seats.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to issue an official notification on its Super Speciality counselling portal detailing the updated schedule, revised seat matrix, and the next steps for Round 2 counselling.
