The Supreme Court, in a significant decision, has stayed the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order to revise the NEET PG state merit list, providing temporary relief to candidates in the state. The case, titled National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences vs Dr. Abhishek Shukla and Others, The State of Madhya Pradesh, and Director Medical Education (Diary No. 58414/2024), was heard via a Special Leave Petition. The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 21, 2025, giving both parties four weeks to prepare their arguments.

Proceedings and Key Arguments

During the hearing, counsel for the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBE) emphasized the urgent nature of the matter. They argued that modifying the merit list based on normalised marks instead of raw scores, as directed by the High Court, would disrupt the academic session set to commence on December 20, 2024. The counsel also pointed out that all other states had accepted the current methodology without legal challenges, except Rajasthan, where a related matter is listed before a Division Bench on December 19, 2024.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier directed NBE to revise the merit list by incorporating incentive marks into the normalised scores for in-service candidates, a method deemed more equitable. However, NBE had explained its standardised processes for determining merit, including percentile-based rankings and the seniority of in-service candidates.

Broader Implications and Current Status

The Supreme Court’s stay order has effectively paused the High Court’s directives, ensuring that the merit list remains unchanged for now. The decision also aligns with the ongoing NEET PG All India Round-2 counseling process, whose results were published on December 14, 2024. Candidates have until December 20, 2024, to report to their allotted institutions, keeping the academic calendar on track.

This ruling has brought relief to NEET PG aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, who were concerned about potential delays and disruptions. It is now expected that the state’s final merit list and reporting process will be concluded soon, pending the Supreme Court’s final judgment in January 2025.

Conclusion

The Supreme Court’s intervention highlights the complexities involved in reconciling state-level directives with national-level frameworks for medical admissions. While the stay order provides immediate clarity for candidates, the outcome of the next hearing will ultimately shape the future of NEET PG merit determination and ensure consistency across states. As legal proceedings continue, stakeholders await a resolution that balances fairness, transparency, and adherence to academic timelines.