Maharashtra MBBS Counselling 2026: Court Blocks College-Run Admissions, Centralised Process Continues

The Bombay High Court has rejected a petition by a private medical college seeking permission to conduct its own counselling round to fill vacant MBBS seats during the 2026 admission cycle in Maharashtra. The court's decision reinforces the state's shift toward a fully centralised admission process managed by the Maharashtra CET Cell, rather than allowing individual colleges to run separate counselling rounds. This ruling is significant for NEET aspirants because it clarifies how remaining seats will be filled and protects candidates from potential exploitation during manual college-level admissions. The court acknowledged that colleges may hold their own admissions only after all state-conducted rounds—including stray vacancy rounds—are complete and seats remain unfilled.

What the Court Decided and Why It Matters for Your Admission

On 23 October 2026, the Bombay High Court dismissed a plea filed by Parbhani Medical College (PMC), which had sought permission to hold its own admission round for MBBS seats. The college argued that without this option, it risked ending the admission cycle with unfilled seats and financial losses. However, the court ruled that the plea was premature—since the state's centralised admission process, managed by the Maharashtra CET Cell, was still ongoing with additional stray vacancy rounds planned.

The court's decision upholds Maharashtra's new rules, introduced in July 2026, that mandate all MBBS and BDS admissions be conducted centrally through the Common Admission Process (CAP). This represents a significant departure from previous years, when colleges were often allowed to conduct their own counselling in the final stray round, sometimes with limited oversight.

Why Maharashtra Banned College-Run Admissions in the First Place

For several years, Maharashtra's final stray vacancy round was conducted by individual colleges rather than the state authority. During this period, students and advocacy groups reported serious problems: colleges allegedly bypassed merit lists, denied admission to qualified candidates, and demanded large sums of money in exchange for seats. These practices created an unequal and opaque system where merit was not always the deciding factor.

The state government, following guidance from the National Medical Commission (NMC), decided to eliminate institutional counselling entirely and conduct all rounds centrally. This change aims to ensure transparency, protect candidates from financial exploitation, and enforce merit-based selection uniformly across all colleges. The new rules also introduced a penalty: candidates who fail to confirm their allotted seat in the regular round are barred from applying for two subsequent years, reducing the number of blocked seats.

What the Court Said Colleges Can Do After Centralised Rounds End

While rejecting the college's immediate plea, the Bombay High Court acknowledged a legal principle established in earlier cases: colleges may conduct their own admissions to fill genuinely vacant seats after the state's centralised process is complete. However, the court advised the college to approach the Supreme Court if it wishes to request an extension of the admission cut-off date or special permission to hold manual admissions.

This means that if seats remain unfilled after all state-conducted stray rounds conclude, colleges will have a pathway to fill them—but only through a formal Supreme Court request, not automatically. The court emphasised that the admission process in Maharashtra was still ongoing and that colleges should wait for the state's planned additional stray rounds to finish before claiming seats could not be filled.

Current Status of Vacant MBBS Seats in Maharashtra

As of late October 2026, Maharashtra still had a significant number of unfilled MBBS seats. Across private medical colleges, 145 out of 3,299 seats remained vacant after the first stray round. Additionally, 100 out of 450 seats in two state private universities were still available. One college, Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in Palghar, accounted for 67 of these vacant seats.

The state had already conducted one stray vacancy round and planned to hold two more before the end of October. This multi-round approach is designed to give candidates multiple opportunities to secure seats through the centralised system before any college-level admissions are considered. For aspirants, this means more chances to get allotted a seat if you have not yet been selected.

What This Means for Your NEET UG Admission Strategy

If you are a NEET UG aspirant in Maharashtra, this ruling protects you in several ways. First, all seat allocations will be based on merit and centralised merit lists, not on negotiations or payments to individual colleges. Second, you will have multiple stray rounds to secure a seat, increasing your chances of admission. Third, the ban on college-level counselling reduces the risk of being denied admission after being allotted a seat or facing unexpected fee demands.

However, you must remain active during the counselling process. If you are allotted a seat in any round, confirm it promptly. Failure to confirm means you lose that seat and are barred from applying in the next two admission cycles. Additionally, keep track of the state's stray round schedule and submit your choices on time. The centralised system is transparent, but it requires your timely participation.

Why Some Colleges Are Still Challenging This Decision

Parbhani Medical College and other self-financed medical colleges have filed multiple petitions against the ban on institutional counselling. Their argument is that without the ability to conduct their own admissions, they cannot guarantee full occupancy of their seats and face financial losses. They contend that this restriction violates their constitutional right to manage admissions and that they should be allowed to fill seats after the state's process concludes.

However, the state's Admission Regulating Authority (ARA) countered these arguments by highlighting practical and ethical concerns. Creating separate waitlists for each college would be administratively complex and unfair to higher-ranked candidates who might be selected at multiple colleges simultaneously but unable to reach all of them in time. The ARA also noted that during college-level rounds, it is difficult to monitor whether colleges honour merit lists or engage in malpractices. The court sided with these concerns, treating the college's plea as premature and directing it to seek relief from the Supreme Court if necessary.

What Happens If Seats Remain Vacant After All State Rounds

The Bombay High Court's order does not permanently bar colleges from filling vacant seats. Instead, it establishes a clear sequence: first, all centralised stray rounds must be completed. Only if seats remain unfilled after that process can colleges approach the Supreme Court to request permission for manual admissions. This two-step approach ensures that the state's transparent system is exhausted before any college-level process begins.

For aspirants, this means you should not assume that vacant seats will be easily available through college admissions. The state will conduct multiple stray rounds, and many of those vacant seats may be filled during these rounds. If you are interested in a particular college or course, your best strategy is to participate actively in every stray round for which you are eligible, rather than waiting for a college-level admission opportunity.

The Broader Context: Maharashtra's Push for Transparent Medical Admissions

This court ruling is part of a larger effort by Maharashtra to reform medical admissions and align with national standards set by the National Medical Commission. Over the past three years, the state had repeatedly announced plans for centralised admissions but was forced to revert to college-level counselling due to pressure from colleges or court orders. This year, the state took a firmer stance by notifying new rules in July 2026 that mandate centralised admissions for both UG and PG medical and dental programmes.

The Bombay High Court's decision to uphold these rules signals judicial support for the state's reform agenda. This is a positive development for transparency and merit-based admissions, but it also means that colleges have fewer options to fill seats outside the centralised system. For aspirants, this reinforces the importance of understanding and actively participating in the state's official counselling process.

Frequently asked questions

The Bombay High Court's decision reinforces Maharashtra's commitment to transparent, merit-based MBBS admissions through a centralised system. As a NEET aspirant, your focus should be on participating actively in every stray round, confirming allotted seats promptly, and monitoring official announcements from the Maharashtra CET Cell. The centralised process protects you from exploitation and ensures fair competition based on merit.