# Centre cuts NEET-SS qualifying percentile to 30%, SC told

2026-09-17T13:21:40+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court it will lower the NEET-Super Speciality qualifying percentile from 50 to 30, aiming to fill 1,857 vacant seats. The decision, filed in a note before a bench led by Justice P S Narasimha, will apply to a proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round. The Centre estimated the reduction will make about 6,000 additional candidates eligible, roughly three times the number of vacancies, the Deccan Herald reports. The Centre also agreed to return 40 vacant in-service seats to Tamil Nadu for one week to allow the state to conduct its own stray vacancy round. Unfilled seats after that will join the national pool managed by the Medical Counselling Committee. The Economic Times notes the court had earlier pushed the Centre to reconsider its refusal to lower the cut-off, citing concern over seats going unfilled each year. The Hindu adds that the petitioner, the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association, had sought a zero cut-off, as done in the past two years. The court listed the case for further hearing after three weeks.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three outlets report the same core facts straight: the percentile cut, the 1,857 vacant seats, and the return of 40 seats to Tamil Nadu. The Hindu provides the most detailed courtroom narrative, including the petitioner's demand for a zero cut-off and the Centre's objection to upgradation. The Economic Times and Deccan Herald frame the story as a routine administrative fix driven by the court's prodding. No source adopts a government-critical or pro-government stance. The uniform straight coverage means the key implication is the scale of the problem: 1,857 super-speciality seats vacant even after two counselling rounds, despite high demand. The effectiveness of the 30th percentile threshold will be tested when the special stray vacancy round concludes in two weeks.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-in-sc-reduces-neet-ss-qualifying-percentile-to-30-tn-to-get-40-vacant-seats-back/article71475895.ece>
  Straight court reporting with full procedural detail, no slant
- economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/neet-ss-cut-off-to-drop-to-30-over-6000-more-candidates-eligible-centre-tells-supreme-court/articleshow/134314113.cms>
  Straight wire-style report with context on court push, no slant
- deccanherald.com (neutral report) <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/centre-lowers-neet-ss-cut-off-to-30-percentile-to-fill-vacant-seats-sc-told-4149914>
  Straight court reporting with background on court direction, no slant

Tags: Centre, Medical Counselling Committee, NEET SS, P.S. Narasimha, Supreme Court of India, Tamil Nadu
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