Supreme Court Extends NEET-UG Admission Deadline to December 30

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court extended the admission deadline for NEET-UG up to December 30, 2024. Passing the order by a two-judge bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai and comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan, the court considered the submission presented by National Medical Council by Senior Advocate Gaurav Sharma, and in his opinion, the extension is ordered as an exception and merely considering vacant seats available along with avoidance of loss for any scarce medical seat not getting unutilized. The extension has been granted as a one-time measure, keeping in view the number of vacant seats and ensuring that no valuable medical seats go to waste.

Court’s Rationale for Extension:

With the particular facts and circumstances and the requirement of not wasting precious medical seats when there is a severe shortage of doctors in the country, we feel persuaded to grant the deadline extension as a last chance.

Instructions for Admission Authorities:

The Supreme Court has directed the admission authorities to arrange fresh stray or special counseling sessions for the vacant seats. All the admission processes need to be completed by December 30, 2024. The order clearly states that no college is allowed to admit students on its own. Admissions can only be done through the state admission authorities.

Key Directives:

• Conduct fresh stray/special counseling sessions for vacant seats.
• Complete the admission process no later than December 30, 2024.
• No direct admissions by colleges; admissions must only be conducted through state admission authorities.

Additionally, the court clarified that the admissions already finalized will not be disturbed by this extended process. Admissions under this procedure must be made strictly from the waiting list of candidates.

Provision for NRI Seats:

The court also ruled that vacant NRI seats under the management quota will be converted to general category seats to ensure maximum utilization.

Case Details:

• Case Title: ERA’s Lucknow Medical College and Hospital vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and Others
• Writ Petition (Civil) No. 833/2024

This ruling comes as a relief to many aspiring medical students and aims to address the critical shortage of doctors in the country. It provides a final opportunity to fill the vacant medical seats while maintaining transparency and fairness in the admission process.