NewsIMTS5 years of vacant postgraduate medical seats data will be examined when the Supreme Court hears a plea on Monday. The petition asks the National Medical Commission to create a system preventing vacancies in pre-clinical and para-clinical PG seats across Indian medical colleges. Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria will hear the case. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court noted that medical seats should not remain unfilled and asked the Centre to meet with stakeholders to address this issue. In April this year, the court also highlighted concerns about unfilled super-speciality medical seats, which led to a proposal for forming a committee under the director general of health services. (Updated 15 Nov 2025, 15:14 IST; source: link)
Supreme Court to examine vacant PG medical seats
The Supreme Court will hear a petition on Monday regarding unfilled postgraduate medical seats across India. The plea asks the National Medical Commission to develop a system that prevents vacancies in pre-clinical and para-clinical PG seats in medical colleges. A bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, will examine data from the past five years on vacant medical seats. This hearing follows the court's earlier observation that medical seats should not remain unfilled, as this affects both medical education and healthcare capacity in the country.
Court's previous concerns about medical seat vacancies
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had directed the Centre to meet with relevant stakeholders to address the issue of unfilled medical seats. The court has consistently shown concern about this problem, noting in April 2023 that even super-speciality medical seats were remaining vacant. This led to a proposal for forming a committee under the director general of health services to find solutions. The current petition specifically focuses on pre-clinical and para-clinical postgraduate seats, which often remain vacant due to various factors including preference for clinical specialties, lower pay scales, or challenging posting locations.
Key Points
- 5 years of vacant postgraduate medical seats data will be examined when the Supreme Court hears a plea on Monday.
- The petition asks the National Medical Commission to create a system preventing vacancies in pre-clinical and para-clinical PG seats across Indian medical colleges.
- Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria will hear the case.
