In Brief

The petitioners, who participated in eight to nine rounds of NEET-PG-2021 admission counselling but failed to secure seats, sought a Special Stray Round to fill approximately 1,456 remaining vacant seats. The Court dismissed the petition, holding that once an admission time schedule is fixed, it must be strictly adhered to and brought to conclusion at a definite point. The Court noted that admitting students mid-session or after significant academic time has elapsed compromises medical education quality and public health. The majority of vacant seats were in non-clinical courses, which structurally remain unfilled yearly due to lack of demand, not process deficiency. Allowing endless counselling rounds merely to fill vacant seats would defeat the purpose of time schedules and create uncertainty.

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