Madras High Court Upholds Supreme Court Deadline for Medical Admissions
The Madras High Court has made a significant ruling regarding admissions to medical courses, stating unequivocally that it cannot order additional rounds of counselling to fill vacant seats once the last date of admission fixed by the Supreme Court has passed. The court emphasized that issuing any such direction would directly violate the mandate established by the Supreme Court of India.
Bench Overturns Single Judge Order for Additional Counselling
The first bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan delivered this order while allowing an appeal filed by the Union Health Ministry. The ministry had challenged a single judge order dated September 18, 2025, which had directed the conduct of additional counselling to fill vacant seats under the NEET Super-Specialty 2024 examination.
The bench referenced the Supreme Court's position in the Ashish Ranjan case, noting that regulations establishing strict timelines for counselling rounds bear the imprimatur of the apex court. "If that is the observation of the Supreme Court, we are of the view that, irrespective of whether seats remain unfilled due to arbitrary inaction by officials or not, once the last admission date has passed, the court cannot grant any relief," the bench stated clearly.
Strict Adherence to Counselling Schedule Mandatory
The court agreed with Additional Solicitor General A R L Sundaresan's argument that the Supreme Court has consistently held in numerous judgments that counselling schedules must be strictly adhered to without exception. The bench warned that permitting violations of these schedules or granting extensions would amount to opening a Pandora's box, completely defeating the purpose of establishing fixed timelines in the first place.
"Extension cannot be granted just because some seats are lying vacant without any other justification," the court emphasized, highlighting that vacancy alone does not constitute sufficient grounds for extending admission deadlines beyond what the Supreme Court has established.
Limited Scope for Corrective Measures
The court clarified that while writ courts can correct any identified illegalities in the counselling and admission process, this corrective power only applies when the last date of admission has not yet passed. Once that deadline has expired, the situation becomes fait accompli—an accomplished fact that cannot be reversed through ordinary judicial channels.
In such cases where the admission deadline has lapsed, parties must seek remedy directly from the Supreme Court itself, as established by various orders passed by the apex court in previous cases. Based on these principles, the Madras High Court bench set aside the single judge's order that had called for additional counselling rounds.
This ruling reinforces the Supreme Court's authority in establishing and enforcing strict timelines for medical admissions across India, particularly for competitive examinations like NEET Super-Specialty. The decision underscores the importance of adhering to established schedules in the interest of fairness, predictability, and the efficient administration of medical education in the country.
