NEET-PG 2025-26: Expert panel to submit report by October 28

The Supreme Court on October 7, 2026, granted an additional three weeks to a 12-member expert committee to submit its report on measures to smooth out postgraduate medical admissions. The committee, constituted by the Centre and headed by the Director General of Health Services, is tasked with comprehensively examining the NEET-PG admission process and suggesting improvements.

This extension comes amidst ongoing legal challenges concerning the decision to significantly reduce the qualifying cut-off marks for NEET-PG for the 2025-26 academic year. The court emphasized the importance of the committee’s recommendations for a detailed review of the admission process.

Background to the Expert Committee

The expert committee was formed by the Centre to address concerns and make easier the postgraduate medical admission process. The Supreme Court had previously granted the committee eight weeks to submit its report. The current extension was requested by Additional Solicitor General Archana Dave Pathak, appearing for the Centre, during a hearing before a bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.

The committee’s formation is a response to a plea challenging the drastic reduction in NEET-PG qualifying cut-off percentiles for the 2025-26 admissions. This reduction aimed to fill over 18,000 vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country in MD and MS courses.

Controversy over Cut-Off Reduction

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) had significantly reduced the NEET PG 2025-26 qualifying cut-off percentiles. For the general category, the cut-off was lowered to seven percentile from 50, while for reserved categories, it was reduced to zero percentile from 40. This meant that candidates with a score as low as minus 40 out of 800 could participate in counselling.

This decision drew criticism from several sections of the medical community, who called it “never seen before and illogical.” Concerns were raised that lowering qualifying marks could allow candidates with inadequate scores to secure admission to postgraduate medical courses. The plea challenging this reduction was filed by social worker Harisharan Devgan, Dr Saurav Kumar, Dr Lakshya Mittal, and Dr Akash Soni, contending that eligibility criteria cannot be altered after the commencement of the selection process and that PG medical education should not be treated as a commercial exercise.

Arguments for and Against Extension

During the hearing on October 7, 2026, Additional Solicitor General Archana Dave Pathak, representing the Centre, requested more time for the expert committee to prepare its report. This request was opposed by Advocate Satyam Rajput, appearing for the petitioners. Rajput argued that the NEET-PG results had already been declared and the counselling process had commenced.

Rajput submitted that granting further time could create confusion among students during the ongoing admissions process. However, the bench maintained that the recommendations of the expert committee were important for a thorough review. The Supreme Court next adjourned the matter after granting the three-week extension.

Further reading

• NEET PG 2026 counselling schedule released: Round 1 registration from October 12
• NEET PG 2026 answer key row reaches Supreme Court over transparency concerns
• M.Pharm 2026: Apply with B.Pharm scores, GPAT, or CUET PG for Delhi NCR admissions
• NEET UG 2026: Uttarakhand opens Round 3 NRI quota MBBS registration until 5 October Applications open
• INI CET application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• NEET PG: 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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