Now Reading: Bombay HC declines institute-level counselling for vacant MBBS seats
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Bombay HC declines institute-level counselling for vacant MBBS seats
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court has declined to allow a private medical college to conduct institution-level counselling to fill vacant MBBS seats during the ongoing NEET UG 2026 admission process in Maharashtra, calling the plea ‘premature’. The court observed that the state counselling process is still underway and the college may yet have all its seats filled.
The court recognised the legal position that medical colleges may be permitted to fill vacant seats through manual counselling after centralised admissions. It said the college could approach the Supreme Court to seek an extension of the admission deadline once the state completes its process.
Of the 3,299 MBBS seats in private medical colleges, 145 remain vacant, 100 of 450 seats in two private universities are also unfilled. Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences, Palghar, one of the petitioners, accounts for 67 vacant seats. Counsel MV Thorat said the college plans to challenge the order in the Supreme Court.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The ruling leaves private colleges in Maharashtra without the institutional round they previously used to fill leftover seats after centralised counselling. The state scrapped that round in July 2026, centralising all admissions including stray vacancies through the CET Cell. The court did not rule on the legality of the new policy, it simply found the petition premature while the state process is still running. The real test will come after state counselling ends, when colleges with unfilled seats may approach the Supreme Court for an extension of the admission deadline and permission to conduct their own round.
Source: medicaldialogues.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
