Supreme Court It was agreed on Wednesday to hear a plea seeking a stay on transfer of 152 vacant in-service super specialty medical seats in Tamil Nadu to the All India Quota (AIQ) for the academic year 2025-26.A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Centre, Tamil Nadu government and other respondents on the petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association. The court sought their response and scheduled the case to be heard in July.While hearing the case, the judges observed that “Government doctors, if mastered, would serve public health better than private doctors.” The court also noted that serving candidates constitute a separate category as they work and study simultaneously.The petition relates to 152 vacant in-service super specialty seats in Tamil Nadu medical colleges, which are earmarked for the academic year 2025-26 in the state. The association has requested the court to restrain the authorities from giving these seats to the all-India quota until the consultation process reaches an advanced stage.It also seeks to allow serving candidates from Tamil Nadu to contest for these seats during the third round of counseling or sweepstakes round if the qualifying percentile drops below 50% after the second round of AIQ counseling.Opposition leader Udayanidhi Stalin also raised the issue earlier this month. In a letter to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on June 4, he urged the state government to take steps to prevent the 152 seats from being given away under the all-India quota.Talking about the NEET super specialty counseling process 2025, Stalin said that 215 of the 430 available seats in Tamil Nadu have been reserved for serving government doctors. “Of these reserved seats, only 63 were filled during the consultation process, leaving 152 seats vacant after the second round of consultation,” he said.
