NEET PG 2025 Counseling: The central government has defended its decision to lower the NEET-PG 2025 qualifying percentile cutoff before the Supreme Court. The government argued that the exam is not a test of clinical competence, but rather a merit-ranking tool to allocate limited postgraduate seats. The government submitted an affidavit stating that all NEET-PG 2025candidates are already licensed MBBS practitioners who have completed 4.5 years of training and a one-year internship.

The central government further argued that the cutoff reduction was necessary due to the large number of vacant PG seats after Round 2 counseling. Of the 31,742 All-India Quota seats, 9,621 remained vacant. The government said the reduction made over 100,000 more candidates eligible, ultimately reducing the vacant seats to just 2,988 – calling the move a correct policy decision to prevent wastage of public medical infrastructure.

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What is the Actual Purpose of NEET-PG?

The government clarified that NEET-PG is not designed to certify minimum medical competence; that benchmark has already been met with MBBS qualifications. The exam merely creates a merit ranking to allocate a small number of postgraduate training seats among thousands of qualified candidates competing for limited places.

Does lowering the cutoff compromise patient safety?

The Center has clearly stated that concerns about patient safety are misplaced. All admitted PG candidates are licensed doctors who can practice independently. During postgraduate training, they work under the constant supervision of senior faculty, and final competence is assessed through a rigorous MD/MS exit examination, which requires a minimum of 50 per cent marks.

Has this reduction ever happened before, legally?

No. The government stated that percentiles have declined since the introduction of NEET-PG in 2017. In 2023, the qualifying percentile was reduced to zero across all categories. The Center stated that such policy decisions are beyond judicial review unless they are proven to be arbitrary, malicious, or unconstitutional.

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How many seats were actually at stake?

Approximately 70,000 postgraduate seats were available for 2025-26, with 9,621 AIQ seats remaining vacant after Round 2. The reduction in cutoffs increased the eligible candidate pool to 228,170. After Round 3, only 2,988 seats remained vacant; this demonstrates the policy's effectiveness in utilizing national medical infrastructure.

The Centre's affidavit to the Supreme Court clearly states that the reduction in the NEET-PG percentile was a legal, pre-existing, and necessary administrative measure. With thousands of PG seats at risk of falling vacant – representing a significant public investment – the government acted to expand the eligible candidate pool without altering merit-based allotment. Since all candidates are qualified MBBS doctors who are supervised during their PG training, this move strengthens India's specialist healthcare capacity rather than diminishing it.