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New Delhi, March 31: The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled the mop up round counselling held for All India Quota (AIQ) of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) post graduate courses for the year 2021-22 and ordered a fresh mop-up round, reports Bar and Bench.
A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Bela M Trivedi also ordered that candidates who have joined in State Quota or AIQ in round 2 will be eligible to participate in a special round of counselling without forfeiture of security deposit and avail the benefit of extra 146 seats added to the pool.
The Court issued the following directions:
– The AIQ mop up counselling shall stand cancelled;
– For 146 seats which became available after the AIQ Round 2 on March 16, 2022, a special round of counselling shall be conducted;
– Students who joined in AIQ or State quota shall be eligible to participate in the special round of counselling without forfeiture of penalty or security deposit (financial penalty);
– The Director General of Health Services shall invite option from students within 24 hours and wrap up the same in 72 hours.
– A fresh mop round will be conducted for AIQ seats; the process should not take more than two weeks;
– Candidates who have joined in round 2 of State quota shall not be eligible to participate for fresh mop up round of AIQ.
The Court was hearing a petition seeking by a group of doctors seeking to participate in the mop-up round of NEET-PG 2021-22 counselling.
The petitioners who were already allotted seats in the second round of counselling, had challenged the Medical Counselling Committee’s March 16 advisory restraining their participation in the mop-up round if a candidate has already picked up seats in State quota.
Their contention was that around 146 seats were subsequently added as a consequence of which people lower in rank than the petitioners would get better disciplines.
