NEET PG Counselling: 18 cancel admissions at a private medical college; Maharashtra CET Cell asks for probe

Maharashtra NEET PG Counselling: The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (Maha CET) Cell has sought an inquiry into an “unusual” en masse cancellation of admission by 18 postgraduate (PG) medical candidates at a private medical college in the state, as the NEET PG counselling 2025 process is being wrapped up.

The aspirants requested the withdrawal more than a month after they were enrolled at the Dr NY Tasgaonkar Institute of Medical Science (NYTIMS), Karjat (Raigad), under the institute (management) and Non-resident Indian (NRI) quotas during the third and final regular round of MD/MS admissions. Following the cancellations, the college petitioned the Bombay High Court (HC) for a special institute-level round to fill the vacant seats. With the court accepting the plea on Thursday, the special round was scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

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The curious turn of events comes months after the Maha CET Cell discovered that around 220 undergraduate (UG) medical candidates’ applications contained forged or missing documents, causing them to be barred from the admission process. The officials had also found that several of the candidates had already obtained seats in the All India Quota (AIQ) or other states, via the MCC NEET Counselling 2025, prompting the allegations of a coordinated “seat-blocking” effort.

The state is currently conducting the second, and possibly final, stray vacancy round for PG medical seats.

NEET PG Counselling: Maha CET Cell probe

An official from the Maharashtra CET Cell, the counselling body for state-quota medical seats, said that they received an email from the college on Thursday, stating that 18 candidates had cancelled their seats during the two preceding days. It’s not clear whether the candidates had to pay any penalty for leaving their seats, as prescribed in the admission rules.

The unusual nature of foregoing the allotted seat has prompted the CET Cell to ask the state Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) for a probe.

“We have asked DMER to enquire about the admission process and the cancellation of admission of these candidates. The official report from DMER is awaited,” said the official.

“As per unofficial information, apparently, since there was no lapse of seat, the penalty was not collected. However, it can be confirmed only after receiving the [inquiry] report. Collecting fines is up to the college, as it is collected and deposited in their account for loss due to lapse of seats,” added the official.

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NEET PG Counselling: Institute-level admissions

This is not the first time that the Bombay HC has permitted a college to fill the vacant seats on its own, as opposed to the centralised admission process carried out by the state authority. Following pleas from colleges, and despite the opposition from the National Medical Commission (NMC), the court handed over the final stray vacancy rounds for UG admissions last year, as well as in 2024, from the state to the institutes.

The institute-level admissions were marred by allegations of colleges demanding excess fees and denying admissions to the candidates. The activists and students have derided the “opacity” in the college-level admissions.

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The medical counsellors suspect that the cancellation of admission may be yet another trick to rig the admission process and “block” the seats for handpicked candidates. They also expressed dismay at the college being allowed to fill the now-available seats by itself. “This will set a very wrong precedent of blocking the seats and then selling them at a higher price. A new window for backdoor admissions has been opened. This will begin a sordid cash-for-seat trend in Maharashtra,” said a Thane-based counsellor.

NYTIMS dean Vinayak Sabnis didn’t respond to calls or a message from Careers360. If he does, this story will be updated with his response.