NEET PG 2025 Cut-off: Govt Tells Supreme Court Lower Bar Won't Affect Doctor Quality

The Supreme Court of India is set to scrutinize the Central Government’s controversial decision to drastically reduce the NEET-PG 2025 qualifying percentile. While the Centre argues the move is necessary to fill thousands of vacant seats, the Court has expressed serious concerns regarding the impact on the quality of medical education in the country.

How has the NEET PG 2025 Cut-off Reduced?

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) issued a notification on January 13, 2026, lowering the eligibility bars to unprecedented levels. The qualifying percentile for General category candidates was slashed from 50th to 7th percentile. More shockingly, for SC/ST/OBC categories, it was reduced to the 0th percentile, effectively allowing candidates with scores as low as minus 40 to qualify for specialist medical training.

Then, the Centre Defended the Decision

In a detailed affidavit, the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC) argued that NEET-PG is not a certificate of "minimum competence" but merely a tool to rank candidates for limited seats. The Centre maintains that every candidate appearing for NEET-PG is already a licensed doctor who has completed 4.5 years of rigorous MBBS training and a one-year internship. They stated that clinical competence is already established at the MBBS level, and therefore, a lower entrance score does not make a doctor "incompetent."

Why was the change made?

The government’s primary justification is the prevention of seat wastage. After Round 2 of counselling, a staggering 9,621 seats remained vacant in the All India Quota, including over 5,000 seats in government colleges. By lowering the bar, the government has made an additional 95,913 candidates eligible, aiming to strengthen the national specialist healthcare capacity.

How Patient Safety is Addressed?

Regarding safety concerns, the government argued that postgraduate training is a "structured three-year supervised program" where students work under senior specialists. Furthermore, they highlighted that candidates must still pass the final MD/MS exit exams by securing at least 50% marks in both theory and practicals to be certified as specialists, ensuring that standards remain intact at the point of graduation.

What the Supreme Court Said

A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe noted that while candidates are already doctors, a "drastic reduction" to zero or negative marks could adversely affect the quality of education. The Court stated it must be satisfied that the decision was not "arbitrary" or taken for "devious reasons." The matter is scheduled for further hearing to determine if this administrative move balances "seat wastage" with "academic excellence."

Also Check

Assam NEET PG 2025 Stray Round Registration Begins @dme.assam.gov.in; Seat Allotment on February 23

Bihar NEET PG 2025 Round 3 Revised Seat Allotment Result Out; Check Now @bceceboard.bihar.gov.in

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