The Delhi High Court has directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to submit its response to a petition challenging the seat allocation process for a postgraduate medical course under the National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET). Justice Jasmeet Singh issued the notice on July 3, 2026, following submissions by the petitioner's counsel, advocate Tanvi Dubey.
Alleged Discrepancy in Seat Matrix
According to the petition, the final seat matrix for MD Ophthalmology at AIIMS, as notified in May 2026, comprised a total of 13 seats. This included five seats under the Unreserved (UR) category. However, during the mock round of seat allocation, the number of available UR seats was reduced to only two. Additionally, one seat each was allocated for 'Institutional Preference' and Persons with Benchmark Disability categories.
The petitioner, the father of an aspiring candidate, argued that his daughter participated in the counselling process based on the initially published seat matrix. She had secured an overall rank of 146 in the INI-CET July 2026 examination. The sudden reduction in UR seats, as per the plea, materially altered the effective seat position without prior notice or transparent mechanism.
Lack of Transparency Alleged
The plea contended that once authorities publish a final seat matrix indicating seat availability in a particular category, they cannot unilaterally change the allocation through an undisclosed process. “In the absence of transparency regarding the manner in which the notified seats have been allocated, deserving candidates may be left behind despite the availability of seats reflected in the Final Seat Position, including the Petitioner's daughter who participated in the counselling process based on the said representation,” the petition stated.
The court has sought AIIMS' stand on the matter, with the next hearing scheduled for August 2026. The outcome of this case could have implications for the transparency of seat allocation processes in national-level medical entrance examinations.
