Chhattisgarh Government Cancels Initial PG Medical Counselling Rounds
In a significant administrative move, the Chhattisgarh government has officially cancelled the first two rounds of postgraduate medical counselling. This decision comes in direct compliance with recent directives from the judiciary, marking a pivotal moment in the state's medical education landscape.
Legal Proceedings Prompt Government Action
The cancellation follows an extensive series of legal proceedings that unfolded in both the Chhattisgarh High Court and the Supreme Court of India. The chain of events began on November 20, 2025, when the High Court delivered a judgment in the landmark case of Samriddhi Dubey and others versus State of Chhattisgarh.
In response to this judicial order, the state government promptly amended the Chhattisgarh Postgraduate Medical Admission Rules on December 1, 2025. Following these amendments, the Directorate of Medical Education initiated the counselling process for MD and MS courses across medical institutions in the state.
Supreme Court Intervention and Clarification
Subsequently, the state government approached the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition, seeking to protect the interests of local students. The apex court directed the state authorities to return to the High Court for clarification regarding specific observations in the November judgment.
The clarification particularly concerned Paragraph 21 of the judgment, which addressed the critical issue of parity between institutional and non-institutional candidates. This legal back-and-forth highlighted the complex balance between merit-based admissions and institutional preferences in medical education.
High Court's Final Directive and Implementation
On January 16 of this year, the Chhattisgarh High Court issued its final order in the matter. The bench, aligning with established legal precedent including the Tanvi Behl case, made a crucial modification to its previous observations.
The court deleted its earlier prohibition against distinguishing between institutional and non-institutional candidates. Instead, it directed the state government to establish a specific percentage for institutional preference while instructing the state counselling committee to conduct the admission process accordingly.
Revised Admission Framework and Fresh Process
The medical education department formally notified the amended admission rules on January 22, 2026. A department spokesperson emphasized that the state government has made the decision to scrap the previous two rounds of counselling to ensure complete fairness and transparency in the admission process.
The fresh counselling process will now follow the clarified framework that includes a 50 percent institutional preference quota as mandated by the court. This revised approach aims to balance the rights of students from within the state's medical institutions with those from outside while maintaining merit-based selection criteria.
What This Means for Aspiring Medical Professionals
Prospective candidates for MD and MS courses in Chhattisgarh are advised to closely monitor official notifications from the Directorate of Medical Education. The department will announce revised registration dates and choice-filling schedules for the new counselling process.
This development underscores the evolving nature of medical admissions in India, where judicial oversight continues to shape policies to ensure equitable access to professional education while addressing legitimate concerns of various stakeholder groups.
