A deeply concerned Supreme Court on Monday said the Centre had to “satisfy” it that the drastic reduction in the cutoff marks for the all-India medical postgraduate entrance exam would not affect the quality of medical education.
“You (the government) will have to satisfy us that the drastic reduction in the cutoff marks, virtually bringing it to zero, does not affect the quality of education,” the apex court told additional solicitor-general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the health ministry.
“Though you may be justified in saying that this is not the entry into the MBBS, that it stands on a different footing because those who are competing are already doctors, but still, in the context of competition, we have to reflect,” Justice P.S. Narasimha, who headed the bench, observed orally.
The bench, which included Justice Alok Aradhe and is hearing a public interest plea moved by four activists, later adjourned the matter by four weeks.
The petitioners have challenged the government decision to reduce the minimum qualifying marks for the NEET-PG 2025 to 103 (out of 800) from the original 276 for general candidates; to 40 from 235 for Scheduled
Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC candidates; and to 90 from 255 for candidates with disabilities.
Filed through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, the petition argues that such drastic cuts would severely compromise the quality of medical care and endanger patients’ lives.
However, the health ministry has contended that this would not happen, because those taking the NEET-PGalready possess an MBBS degree and have completed the compulsory, rotational internship.
Further, all of them have had to secure at least 50 per cent marks separately in their theory and practical exams to earn their MBBS degree.
“Therefore, all candidates appearing in NEET-PG are academically meritorious” and each of them “is already a duly qualified medical graduate legally entitled to practise modern medicine”, the ministry has said in an affidavit.
It has explained that the NEET-PG asks 200 multiple-choice questions carrying 4 marks each and stipulates negative marking for incorrect answers, which may lead to certain candidates scoring poor marks.
“However, the scores are a function of relative performance and examination design, which cannot be construed as determinative of clinical incompetence,” the affidavit says.
According to the ministry, about 70,000 postgraduate seats were available for the academic session 2025-26 for 2.24 lakh candidates, of which 31,742 seats came under an all-India quota across various specialities. After the second round of counseling, some 9,621 seats out of this quota remained vacant. Of these, 5,213 seats were vacant atgovernment medical colleges alone.
This “conclusively demonstrates that the reduction of percentile was not undertaken to benefit private medical institutions, but to prevent large-scale vacancy of seats, including in government institutions created through public expenditure”, the affidavit says.
It adds that after the three-year PG course, the trainee doctors’ “final competence is rigorously assessed at the exit level” where they must again secure at least 50 per cent marks separately in the theory and practical exams.
“PG seats represent substantial national investment in infrastructure, faculty and hospital facilities, (and) leaving such seats vacant would result in wastage of valuable public resources and training capacity, thereby affecting patient care and healthcare deliveries,” the ministry has argued.