The official NMC notification states: “In supersession of this Commission’s Seat Matrix of even number dated 19.11.2024 for PG Medical Courses for AY 2024-25, an updated seat matrix for PG Courses for AY 2024-25 along with Medical Assessment and Rating Board’s letter dated 24-01-2025 is attached. All concerned medical colleges and health institutions/ stakeholders are requested to take note of the same.”
NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued a new circular announcing an updated seat matrix for postgraduate (PG) medical courses for the academic year 2024-25. This notification replaces the earlier seat matrix issued on 19th November 2024.
The official NMC notification states: “In supersession of this Commission’s Seat Matrix of even number dated 19.11.2024 for PG Medical Courses for AY 2024-25, an updated seat matrix for PG Courses for AY 2024-25 along with Medical Assessment and Rating Board’s letter dated 24-01-2025 is attached. All concerned medical colleges and health institutions/ stakeholders are requested to take note of the same.”
This seat matrix includes important details such as the state-wise and institute-wise distribution of seats, quota allocation, medical branches, and category-based seat availability. Medical colleges, students, and other stakeholders can visit the official NMC website to check the updated list.
Earlier, 16 new PG medical seats were added for the third round of NEET PG counselling for 2024. These seats were distributed among various states, with Maharashtra receiving the highest number of 16 seats. Karnataka followed with 4 seats, while Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal each received 1 seat.
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The Supreme Court recently struck down domicile-based reservations in PG medical courses, declaring them unconstitutional.
A three-judge Bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti delivered this important judgment. The Court made it clear that domicile-based reservations cannot be allowed at the PG level in medical education.
“We are all domicile in India and there is no provincial domicile etc. … This gives us a right to pursue trade across India. Benefit of reservation in education to those who reside in certain areas can be given only in MBBS in some cases. But reservation in higher level on basis of residence is violative of Article 14.”
However, the Court clarified that the ruling will not affect reservations that have already been granted under the residence-based category.
The court ruled: “Residence-based reservation in PG medical courses is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.” This means that students will no longer get admissions based on state domicile quotas in PG medical courses.
The ruling was made in response to a reference from 2019, where a two-judge Bench had sought clarity on whether domicile-based reservations for PG medical courses in state quota seats were legally valid. The following key questions were raised:
- Is it legally invalid to provide domicile or residence-based reservations for admission to PG medical courses within the state quota?
- If such reservations are allowed, what should be their extent and method of implementation?
- If domicile-based reservations are permitted, how should they be applied in states or union territories that have only one medical college?
- If such reservations are invalid, how should state quota seats, apart from institutional preference seats, be allocated?
The case originated from an appeal against a decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court concerning PG medical admissions at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh. The High Court had declared certain provisions in the medical college’s prospectus invalid, specifically those that provided domicile-based reservations under the UT Chandigarh Pool.
However, the court also clarified that this judgment will not affect domicile reservations already granted. It stated that while the ruling applies to future admissions, students who have already secured admission under the domicile quota will not be impacted.
