Rajasthan HC stays NEET PG 2024 state quota admissions after appeal against normalisation

NEW DELHI: The Rajasthan High Court has stayed the state quota admissions for NEET PG 2024, following an appeal against the dismissal of a plea challenging the normalisation process used in the merit list. The court has put a hold on the further allotment of seats in medical postgraduate courses, affecting thousands of aspirants seeking admission into MD, MS, and PG diploma programs in the state.

The controversy emerged from a petition filed by a group of 45 doctors who challenged the merit list issued by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for Rajasthan NEET PG admissions 2024.

The petitioners contended that the list contained errors, and they alleged that the process followed in preparing the merit list was arbitrary and flawed. The doctors sought a revision of the list, claiming that it did not accurately reflect the merit of candidates.

Earlier this week, a single bench of the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the petition, stating that there was “no apparent arbitrariness or illegality” in the preparation of the merit list. The court's decision allowed the counselling process to proceed without any immediate changes. However, the petitioners were not satisfied with the ruling and filed an appeal before a division bench of the High Court.

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Provisional allotments for 1,506 candidates in uncertainty

The division bench resumed hearing the appeal and, while it examines the issue further, issued a stay order on the state counselling process. As a result, the provisional allotment results for the first round of NEET PG 2024 counselling, which had already been declared by SMS Medical College, Jaipur, are now in a state of uncertainty.

The college had announced the provisional allotments for 1,506 candidates, but the status of these admissions is now pending due to the stay.

In its notification, the SMS Medical College had declared the first-round allotments for candidates seeking admission to MD, MS, and PG diploma courses. The allotments were based on the merit list, but with the High Court’s stay, these provisional results may no longer hold.

The stay order has left many NEET PG aspirants in limbo, as the delay in the counselling process could affect their chances of securing seats in their preferred specialties. As the legal battle continues, candidates are awaiting further clarity on the future course of the admissions process.

The outcome of the division bench’s decision will be crucial in determining whether the counselling process can proceed as planned or if further revisions to the merit list and admissions process will be required.