The Centre on Thursday (September 17, 2026) agreed to reduce the qualifying percentile for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) seats from the existing 50% to 30%, even as it agreed to return 40 vacant in-service seats pertaining to Tamil Nadu to the State.
“The matter has since been reconsidered in consultation with the concerned stakeholders. In order to ensure that the available super speciality seats do not remain vacant and that the available training capacity is optimally utilised, it has been decided that the qualifying percentile for NEET-SS may be reduced from the existing 50th percentile to 30th percentile for the purpose of the proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round,” a Union government note filed before a Bench headed by Justice P.S. In the previous hearing, both the State and Mr. It had also sought protection of the State’s in-service reservation policy.
In fact, the Centre’s note said 1,857 super speciality seats were presently lying vacant pursuant to the completion of the second round of NEET-SS counselling. Further, the Centre said its decision to revert the 40 vacant in-service seats to Tamil Nadu was taken in compliance with Supreme Court orders in relation to the State. The Union government, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, said the reduction of the qualifying percentile in NEET-SS would broaden the candidate pool to approximately 6,000 against a mere 1,857 vacant seats.
Narasimha said. “In the peculiar circumstances, the 40 vacant in-service seats pertaining to Tamil Nadu would be reverted to the State government for the limited purpose of enabling the State to conduct and complete its own stray vacancy round for a period of one week,” the Centre submitted. Wilson had urged the court to intervene with the Centre for the return of these “precious” 40 seats, noting that they would ensure that more in-service government doctors serving in rural parts of the State would get specialised medical training to serve society. “Accordingly, the vacant seats may be offered only to candidates who have not joined a seat in the earlier rounds of NEET-SS counselling and who become eligible consequent upon the reduction of the qualifying percentile,” the note said. The petitioner-association had challenged the “premature diversion” of 152 vacant Super Speciality seats earmarked for in-service government doctors in Tamil Nadu to the All-India Quota.
