NEET counselling: private colleges move HC to restore institute-level admissions

Two private medical colleges in Maharashtra, Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) Palghar and Parbhani Medical College (PMC), Parbhani, have moved the Bombay High Court today, 17 October 2026. They are challenging the state government’s decision to end institute-level counselling for MBBS and MD/MS admissions, arguing for their right to fill vacant seats after centralised counselling.

VIMS Palghar filed a plea before the court’s principal bench in Mumbai, while PMC Parbhani filed a plea before the Aurangabad bench. This legal action is set to impact the ongoing National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) and Postgraduate (NEET PG) admissions in Maharashtra, as institute-level counselling traditionally allowed colleges to fill spots unclaimed after regular rounds.

Changes to Medical Admission Rules

The state government notified fresh rules for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental admissions in July and earlier this month, respectively. These new regulations stipulate that the entire admission process, including stray vacancy rounds, must be conducted online through the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) by the competent authority, the State Common Entrance Test (CET) cell.

The Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, serves as the parent law for these new rules. A significant change introduced by these rules is the bar on candidates who fail to confirm admission to allotted seats in regular counselling rounds from applying for admission for two subsequent years.

Context of Institute-Level Counselling

Institute-level counselling has been a recurring point of contention among medical aspirants, colleges, and the state government. While colleges advocate for this method to ensure all seats are filled, students and activists have previously raised concerns about transparency and oversight, alleging that it could allow colleges to bypass merit lists. In the last three admission cycles, the state had initially aimed to centralise the entire process but eventually reverted the final stray vacancy round for UG admissions to an institutional round, often due to college pressure or court directives.

The state government’s current move to curb institutional counselling through new legal notifications aligns with broader efforts to enhance transparency and accountability in medical admissions. The Supreme Court of India has previously advocated for Aadhaar-based seat-tracking to prevent candidates from holding multiple medical seats across states, a practice that can distort cut-offs and disadvantage other aspirants.

NEET UG 2026 Counselling Framework

MBBS admission in Maharashtra is conducted through NEET-UG, followed by centralised counselling managed by the State CET Cell, Maharashtra. Seats are allocated under All India Quota (AIQ – 15%), State Quota (85%), Management Quota, and NRI Quota, with NEET-UG qualification being mandatory for all admissions. The NEET UG 2026 Exam was completed on 3 May 2026, and the official website for Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 counselling is medical2026.mahacet.org.

The counselling process typically involves multiple rounds, including a mop-up round and a stray vacancy round. The current legal challenge seeks to reintroduce the institute-level component for these later rounds. Maharashtra government MBBS graduates are also required to serve a one-year compulsory bond in public/rural health service or pay an indicative bond amount of approximately ₹10 lakh, based on the previous year’s figures.

Past Irregularities and Verification Drives

The Maharashtra State CET Cell has previously taken action against irregularities in the admission process. For NEET UG 2025 admissions, the CET Cell issued notices to 152 candidates for submitting “false information & documents” ahead of the third round of counselling. These candidates, some of whom had secured seats in other states or via All-India Quota, reappeared in Maharashtra’s Round-3 merit list.

The CET Cell requested time until 16 October 2025, to complete the scrutiny process for NEET UG 2025 Round 3. The flagged students were instructed to re-upload original documents by noon on 16 October 2025, with failure to comply resulting in exclusion from the admission process. This verification drive aimed to address the issue of medical seat blocking, which can artificially inflate cut-offs and create a false perception of scarcity, disadvantaging genuine aspirants.

Further reading

• Maharashtra NEET counselling: private colleges move HC for institute rounds
• MGUG MBBS vacant seat admission 2026-27: apply by November 30 Applications open
• NEET application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• Maharashtra NEET Counselling: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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