Srinagar, Nov 28, KNT: A controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir’s NEET PG 2025 admission process after authorities invoked Rule 17 to divert 38 high-demand clinical MD and MS seats from the Open Merit category to reserved categories, triggering sharp criticism from aspirants and sections of the medical community.
Last year, the same provision resulted in the diversion of 23 clinical seats among the top 200 admissions. This year’s increase to 38 seats has raised serious questions over what doctors describe as a sudden and disproportionate expansion in the application of the rule, significantly reducing opportunities for Open Merit candidates who secure higher ranks.
To justify the move, officials have announced that 38 non-clinical seats will be allotted to the Open Merit category and have projected this as fulfilment of its quota. However, aspirants and experts have rejected the argument, saying clinical and non-clinical disciplines cannot be treated as interchangeable.
Medical professionals said clinical seats are highly competitive and sought after due to their career prospects and frontline relevance, whereas non-clinical disciplines follow an entirely different academic and professional pathway. They said replacing one with the other amounts to numerical adjustment rather than equitable distribution.
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Doctors’ representative Dr Mohammad Momin Khan described the decision as deeply unfair and harmful to merit-based selection. He urged the administration to take urgent corrective steps, warning that continued application of such policies would erode confidence in the admission system and weaken the principle of meritocracy.
Aspirants said the diversion has left many deserving candidates uncertain about their future despite securing high ranks. They said the policy has penalised performance and created a sense of injustice among students who prepared for years to compete for clinical seats.
Students have demanded transparent disclosure of seat matrices and a review of the rule’s application to ensure that Open Merit candidates are not sidelined through what they termed artificial balancing.
The aspirants have appealed to the authorities to revisit the decision before counselling concludes to prevent long-term damage to the integrity of the medical admission process in the region. [KNT]
