Gauhati HC directs Assam Govt to revise NEET PG 2024 counseling, allocates 371 seats

Guwahati, Feb 8: The Gauhati High Court has directed the State government to allocate the original 288 NEET PG 2024 State quota medical seats, along with a 25 per cent increase in seats to implement the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quo-ta, bringing the total to 371 for the first round of counselling.

Justice Michael Zothankhuma, in his order, also directed that the said 371 seats should be allocated/distributed in accordance with the reservation policy of the State to ensure the proper implementation of the 10 per cent reservation for the EWS.

The order came in response to two writ petitions, filed separately by petitioners from both reserved and unreserved categories of candidates, demanding a corresponding increase of 25 per cent in the number of Post-graduate (PG) seats for implementation of the 10 per cent for the EWS.

Senior counsels KN Choudhury and BD Konwar appeared for the petitioners from the unreserved and re-served categories, respectively.

The Court also stated that although it has been directed that the first round of counselling should restart to enable the most meritorious candidates to have the best choices of seats/subjects, the choices made by the PG candidates in the first round of counselling held on November 18, 2024, and for which seats/subjects/courses have been allocated to the candidates, should not be disturbed.

However, PG candidates who have already been allotted a seats/courses/subjects in the first round of counselling shall be given an option to further choose and be allotted another seat/course/subject, which will be put up for the first time in the new first round of counselling to be held pursuant to today's order, due to increase of the additional 83 postgraduate seats.

"Thereafter, the second round of counselling will start afresh. However, the selection/allotment of seats/subjects/courses to candidates in the second round of counselling held on December 12, 2024, onwards is hereby all set aside. The direction has been passed due to the fact that it is not known what seat/subject/course will remain for the second round of counselling for the various categories of candidates," the order stated.

In response to the submission of the State government that the last date of joining in the college for the PG courses is February 28, the Court has directed to allocate the 371 seats as per the Reservation Policy of the State and restart the counselling process.