Court Restricts In-Service Candidates' Allotment to 30% Quota Pending Further Pleadings, Cites Dual Benefit as Prejudicial to Fresh Candidates
In a significant judgment dated November 2, 2026, the Madhya Pradesh High Court (Jabalpur Bench, Division Bench) addressed a contentious issue concerning the admission process for NEET PG courses in the state. The petition, filed by Dr. Sarvjeet Singh and another candidate, challenged the Madhya Pradesh State Government's policy of granting a dual benefit to in-service medical candidates. This policy involved reserving a separate 30% quota for in-service candidates and additionally awarding them incentive marks of 10%, 20%, and 30%, based on their length of government service.
The petitioners contended that this dual advantage unfairly prejudiced fresh candidates who had scored higher on the NEET PG examination but were nonetheless ranked lower due to the weightage marks given to in-service candidates. For instance, the petitioners pointed out that an in-service candidate with an All India Rank of 13,865 was elevated to rank 333 after the addition of service marks, thereby surpassing candidates with ranks 82 and 117 who did not receive such benefit. This manipulation of ranking, they argued, compromised the merit-based admission system and limited fresh candidates' ability to choose preferred subjects or disciplines.
The Court acknowledged the petitioners' grievance, observing that the current admission modality effectively conferred a "dual benefit" to in-service candidates - both through a separate quota and the incentive marks - which could result in injustice to non-service candidates with higher NEET PG scores. Given the urgency and the ongoing counselling and seat allotment process, the Court issued an interim direction. It ordered that the allotment of branches and subjects to in-service candidates should strictly be confined to the 30% seats reserved for them, according to the notified seat distribution for Government, Autonomous, and Private Medical Colleges of Madhya Pradesh for the NEET PG 2026-27 first round.
The Court also granted permission to the petitioners to add additional respondents if necessary and allowed service of notice by humdast (personal service) as well as by e-mail to expedite proceedings. The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 5, 2026, to allow parties to complete their pleadings.
This judgment highlights the judiciary's role in ensuring fairness and transparency in medical education admissions and addresses concerns about potential misuse of reservation policies that may impact merit-based selection. Stakeholders in medical education and aspirants of NEET PG courses in Madhya Pradesh await the final verdict, which could have a lasting impact on admission policies and reservation norms.
Bottom Line:
NEET PG admission - Challenge to grant of dual benefit to in-service candidates by giving both 30% in-service quota and incentive/weightage marks based on service - Interim direction issued that allotment of branches/subjects to in-service candidates shall be restricted to 30% seats pending pleadings.
Statutory provision(s):
Madhya Pradesh Chikitsa Shiksha Pravesh Niyam, 2018 - Rule 14
