Tamil Nadu decided to reclaim 40 vacant super specialty seats

Applications are expected to be invited once the Center informs the Supreme Court that the qualifying score for NEET-Super Specialty is being reduced from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile.

After giving up 151 vacant super specialty seats for the second round of all-India quota counselling, Tamil Nadu is all set to get back 40 of them. Nearly 100 interns are waiting for these posts and fresh applications are expected to be invited once the Center informs the Supreme Court that the qualifying score for NEET-Super Specialty is being reduced from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile.

The state had to give up the vacant posts reserved for Tamil Nadu candidates in the service as per the directions of the Supreme Court. Now 40 of these seats left vacant after the second round of All India Quota counseling are returning to the state.

Fresh applications

Officials said there are about 100 eligible candidates, but they will have to call for applications again after receiving court orders. The deadline for submitting the application will depend on the duration set by the court.

M. Akilan, state secretary of the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association (TNMOA), said in a statement that after the Supreme Court ordered on May 29 that the vacant super specialist seats be given up to the All India Fund, he has filed a fresh independent suit in the court representing the rights and interests of doctors in super specialist education.

The court later ordered that the vacant seats be given up to the All India Fund and if the qualification cut-off was lowered in subsequent rounds of counselling, 50% of the remaining vacant seats in Tamil Nadu should be returned to the state.

Preliminary application

The TNMOA said it continued its legal efforts and subsequently filed another preliminary application for full reinstatement of the remaining vacancies in the Tamil Nadu state service. In a hearing on Thursday (September 17, 2026), the medical advisory board informed the court that the NEET-SS qualifying percentile will be reduced to the 30th percentile. All remaining vacancies in the service would be returned to the state.

Dr. Akilan said 111 candidates are already waiting and new applicants will come. Last year, Tamil Nadu surrendered 145 seats to the all-India quota and 39 were returned.

Some senior government doctors have expressed displeasure. “First the cutoff was kept at 50th percentile. Then 151 vacant high merit super specialty seats were taken away for non-service candidates from all over India. Now the cutoff percentile has been reduced to 30 and 40 seats have been given back. These seats often belong to neglected disciplines. This is a sabotage of the Directorate of Health Services as a sabotage. prospectus and run fair counseling for service aspirants from at least next year,” said the doctor.

Another doctor added that there will not be many applicants for the vacant positions. A lack of funding and promotional opportunities has reduced interest, he said.

Published – 18 Sep 2026 22:49 IST