MP NEET-PG 2026 Counselling Halted: High Court Caps In-Service Seats at 30%

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has intervened in the state's NEET-PG counselling process for 2026, ordering an immediate halt to Round 1 admissions and imposing new rules on how seats are allocated between open-category and in-service candidates. The court's interim order, issued on November 2, came after open-category doctors challenged the merit list preparation, arguing that combining open and in-service candidate lists unfairly disadvantaged higher-scoring open-category applicants. The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has suspended all Round 1 admissions pending further court directions, leaving thousands of newly qualified doctors in limbo about their PG seat assignments.

What the High Court Ordered and Why It Matters

On November 2, the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur, passed an interim order that fundamentally reshapes how the state will conduct its NEET-PG counselling. The court directed that in-service candidates—doctors already employed in government or private institutions—shall not receive more than 30% of available seats in any single speciality or discipline. Equally important, the court mandated that the merit lists for open-category candidates and in-service candidates must be kept entirely separate and not merged during the seat allocation process.

This order emerged from a petition filed by open-category candidates who objected to how the DME had prepared its merit lists. The petitioners argued that by intermingling open and in-service merit lists, the state had created an unfair advantage for in-service doctors, even those with lower NEET-PG scores. This arrangement, they contended, pushed higher-scoring open-category candidates down the allocation queue, reducing their chances of securing seats in competitive specialities. The court found merit in these arguments and issued the interim order to protect open-category candidates' rights.

Round 1 Admissions Suspended: What Happens to Your Seat Allotment

On November 3, the DME issued a formal notice halting all Round 1 admission activities with immediate effect. Any candidate who had already received a seat allotment in Round 1 is now in a state of suspension—your admission is not finalized, and you cannot proceed to report to your allotted college until the High Court issues further directions. The notice explicitly states that the admission process will remain withheld until the court provides new orders or the state government and DME submit their replies to the court's notice.

This suspension affects all candidates across all specialities in Madhya Pradesh's NEET-PG counselling. The DME has not yet announced a revised counselling schedule, so there is no clarity on when Round 1 will restart or whether the entire process will be restructured. Candidates are advised to monitor the official DME website and the Office of the Commissioner, Public Health and Medical Education, for updates. The court has given the state government and DME until November 5 to file their responses, after which the court may issue further orders.

Why Open-Category Candidates Challenged the Merit List

The core complaint from open-category candidates centred on a procedural issue: the DME had merged the merit lists of open-category and in-service candidates into a single ranking. This meant that when seats were allocated, the system did not distinguish between the two pools. A high-scoring open-category doctor could find themselves ranked below a lower-scoring in-service candidate simply because the in-service candidate appeared earlier in the combined list. This practice effectively gave in-service candidates a structural advantage, even though they were competing for the same pool of seats.

Petitioners highlighted that this arrangement disproportionately harmed open-category candidates in competitive specialities such as radiology, anaesthesia, and pathology, where seat numbers are limited. By keeping the lists separate and capping in-service seats at 30%, the High Court has ensured that open-category candidates will compete fairly within their own merit pool, and in-service candidates will have a defined, limited share of seats. This is a significant shift in how Madhya Pradesh will conduct its PG counselling going forward.

The 30% In-Service Seat Cap: What It Means for Speciality Allocation

The High Court's directive that in-service candidates receive no more than 30% of seats in each speciality is a structural reform. Previously, there was no explicit cap, and the proportion of in-service seats varied by speciality and institution. Under the new order, if a speciality has 100 seats available, a maximum of 30 seats can be reserved for or allocated to in-service candidates; the remaining 70 seats are reserved for open-category candidates. This applies uniformly across all disciplines—whether it is medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, or any other speciality.

This cap is intended to ensure that open-category candidates, who have competed in a national examination and represent the broader medical workforce, retain the majority of seats. In-service candidates, while valuable to the system, will now have a defined and limited share. The practical effect is that open-category candidates with lower scores may now secure seats in competitive specialities that would have been unavailable to them under the merged-list system. However, the exact implementation—whether the 30% is a hard cap or a guideline, and how it applies to different categories within open and in-service pools—will depend on the state's revised counselling rules, which are yet to be announced.

Timeline and Next Steps: When Will Counselling Resume?

As of November 3, there is no announced revised counselling schedule. The DME's notice states only that the admission process is withheld until further orders from the High Court. The court has given the state government and DME until November 5 to file their responses to the interim order. After that date, the court may issue clarifications, modify the order, or set a timeline for the resumption of counselling. Candidates should expect a delay of at least one to two weeks before any new schedule is announced.

The revised counselling process will likely involve re-preparing the merit lists according to the High Court's directions—separating open-category and in-service candidates and ensuring the 30% cap is applied. This is a significant administrative task, and the DME will need time to reprogram its counselling software and verify the new allocations. Candidates are advised to keep their contact information updated with the DME and check the official website daily for announcements. Do not make any travel or accommodation arrangements until an official revised schedule is published.

What This Means for Your NEET-PG Career Planning

If you are an MBBS graduate awaiting a PG seat in Madhya Pradesh, this High Court intervention introduces both uncertainty and opportunity. The uncertainty is obvious: your Round 1 allotment is frozen, and you do not know when counselling will resume or whether your allotted seat will change under the new rules. However, the opportunity lies in the fact that the new rules are designed to be fairer to open-category candidates. If you are an open-category candidate with a competitive NEET-PG score, the separation of merit lists and the 30% cap may actually improve your chances of securing a seat in a speciality you prefer.

Conversely, if you are an in-service candidate, the new cap may limit your options. You will now compete within a defined pool of 30% of seats per speciality, which could mean that even with a high score, you may not secure a seat in a highly competitive speciality if the in-service pool is saturated. The key takeaway is that the counselling process is now more transparent and rule-based, which reduces arbitrary allocation but also means you must be prepared for a revised outcome. Use this waiting period to finalize your speciality preferences and research colleges, so you are ready to act quickly once the revised schedule is announced.

Broader Implications for NEET-PG Counselling Fairness

This High Court intervention in Madhya Pradesh reflects a growing national concern about fairness in NEET-PG counselling. Merging merit lists from different candidate pools—whether open-category, in-service, or reserved categories—can obscure the true ranking of candidates and lead to unfair allocations. The Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision to separate these lists and cap in-service seats is a model that other states may consider adopting. It prioritizes transparency and ensures that each candidate pool competes on a level playing field.

The order also highlights the importance of clear, published counselling rules before the process begins. Candidates and their families deserve to know in advance how seats will be allocated, what the reservation or in-service seat percentages are, and how merit lists will be prepared. The fact that this issue had to go to court suggests that the DME's original rules were either unclear or not adequately communicated. Going forward, states should publish detailed counselling guidelines, including the exact percentage of seats reserved for in-service candidates, well before counselling begins.

Frequently asked questions

The Madhya Pradesh High Court's intervention marks a significant shift toward fairer NEET-PG counselling practices. While the suspension of Round 1 admissions creates short-term uncertainty, the new rules—separating merit lists and capping in-service seats at 30%—are designed to protect open-category candidates' rights. Monitor the official DME website closely for the revised counselling schedule, expected within the next one to two weeks.