The Union Health Ministry defended its move to reduce the qualifying percentile for NEET-PG 2025–26, citing the need to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats and optimize national healthcare infrastructure. Expert bodies carefully considered this decision, emphasizing it was within the framework of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The Ministry clarified that NEET-PG aims to rank candidates for limited postgraduate seats, not certify clinical competence.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that around 70,000 seats were available for the 2025–26 academic session, with 31,742 under the All-India Quota, and 9,621 of these remained vacant after Round-2 of counselling. A meeting in December 2025 highlighted the potential for 20,000 vacant postgraduate seats nationwide, leading to the decision to increase eligible candidates for the third counselling round. This measure, according to the affidavit, does not compromise academic standards or alter merit.
Responding to concerns, the Ministry assured that postgraduate trainees are supervised by senior faculty, and final competence is evaluated through examinations where a minimum of 50% marks is required. The Centre argued that leaving postgraduate seats vacant would waste national investment in infrastructure and healthcare capacity. It urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition challenging the reduction in qualifying percentile, emphasizing that such decisions fall within the domain of expert bodies.
