The Supreme Court has asked the NMC to examine if a General Medicine PG seat can be converted into a Radio Diagnosis seat to balance the rights of two JNIMS candidates. The Court called it an “extraordinary situation” and posted the matter for August 29, 2025.
New Delhi: In a very unusual situation, the Supreme Court of India has passed an important order regarding a dispute over a postgraduate medical seat. The case involves the only PG seat in Radio Diagnosis reserved for Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Imphal sponsored candidates.
The Supreme Court has asked the National Medical Commission (NMC) to examine whether the seat currently occupied by one candidate in General Medicine can be converted into a Radio Diagnosis seat.
This rare direction was given because of the complicated situation that arose between two meritorious doctors.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar issued the interim order. The Court made it clear that it did not want to disturb the position of the respondent, who now legally holds the Radio Diagnosis seat.
But at the same time, it wanted to protect the interest of the petitioner, who had already completed six months of training in the Radio Diagnosis course. The Court has fixed the next hearing on August 29, 2025, when the reply of the NMC will be considered.
The Court said:
“In view of a rather extraordinary situation, the National Medical Commission is directed to consider if the seat occupied by the petitioner in General Medicine can be converted as the seat for Radio Diagnosis. This direction, only to consider, is in view of the fact that the petitioner has spent six months pursuing Radio Diagnosis and also for the reason that he is meritorious.”
The bench further clarified that the rights of the respondent, who became eligible later because of changes in cut-off percentile during counselling, will not be disturbed. The Court said that this arrangement would not affect her rightful claim to the Radio Diagnosis seat.
The petitioner in this case is Dr. Mutum Anilkumar Singh, Senior Casualty Medical Officer at JNIMS, Imphal. The respondent, who is now the Senior Resident in the Department of Radio Diagnosis at JNIMS, is the other candidate claiming the reserved seat.
Both had appeared for NEET-PG 2024. Under the Reservation Scheme, 2022 and the 1st Amended Rules, 2022, one Radio Diagnosis PG seat was reserved for candidates sponsored by JNIMS.
In the third round of counselling, the petitioner was admitted to the Radio Diagnosis seat since he had scored a higher percentile. However, under the rules, the seat was subject to surrender if another eligible Senior Resident qualified later after relaxation of the cut-off percentile.
That is what happened when the respondent qualified during the stray round of counselling. She immediately submitted her representation, stating that the petitioner must vacate the seat since she had the legal entitlement as per the scheme.
The dispute then reached the Manipur High Court. The Single Judge avoided giving a final decision on who was right but ordered that the petitioner’s admission in Radio Diagnosis should be shifted to a vacant seat in General Medicine.
On appeal, the Division Bench of the High Court upheld the Single Judge’s order. The High Court observed that the respondent had not delayed in raising her claim, the authorities were responsible for not considering her eligibility in time, and the reserved Radio Diagnosis seat was rightfully hers.
The Court also noted that shifting the petitioner to General Medicine protected both candidates.
Not satisfied with this decision, the petitioner moved the Supreme Court. His lawyer, Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat along with Advocate-on-Record Neha Rathi, argued that the petitioner had already spent six months in Radio Diagnosis and was more meritorious, so his career should not be ruined by a sudden change.
On the other side, Advocate General Lenin Singh Hijam along with Senior Advocate Anupam Lal Das and others defended the High Court’s order. They argued that the respondent’s entitlement under the reservation scheme could not be ignored.
The Supreme Court, after hearing both sides, tried to balance the interests of both doctors. It did not disturb the respondent’s seat but asked the NMC to check if the petitioner’s General Medicine seat can be converted to a Radio Diagnosis seat. This middle path, the Court felt, would avoid disruption to both candidates.
This case highlights how complex NEET-PG counselling can become, especially when institutional reservations and changes in cut-off percentiles are involved. If the Supreme Court later allows such conversion of seats, it may set a new precedent in medical education.
It would mean that in cases where two meritorious candidates are caught in a clash due to counselling rules, both careers can be protected without unfairly harming anyone.
Case Title:
Mutum Anilkumar Singh v. The State of Manipur & Ors., SLP(C) No. 21750/2025.
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