New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought responses of the Centre and AIIMS on a plea which claimed the premier institution failed to conduct the spot admission round for Institutes of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET)-2025 for PG medical education despite certain vacant seats.

Justice Vikas Mahajan issued notice to the Central government and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, on the petition filed by several doctors, who appeared in the INI-CET January 2025 session.

The court, while hearing the plea on March 28, posted it for April 4.

The petition challenged the action of AIIMS in failing to conduct the spot admission round which, it claimed, was to be held after the open admission round for INI-CET January 2025.

Advocate Tanvi Dubey, representing the petitioners, showed the prospectus to the court contending that under the process of seat allocation after open round, the spot round was also to be conducted, if required.

The counsel urged the court to direct AIIMS to organise the spot round of INI-CET counselling without any delay.

The counsel for AIIMS contended that the petition was "misconceived" and submitted that the post graduate seats, which will remain vacant even after the open round, could only be filled by individual INIs by conducting spot round after due approval of their competent authority.

The AIIMS counsel said Institutes of National Importance (INIs), where the vacancies are available, are necessary parties in the matter.

To this, the petitioner's lawyer said she will file an application to implead the INIs which are necessary parties.

AIIMS had issued the prospectus for the INI-CET Examination for the PG Courses (MD/ MS/ M.Ch.(6 years)/ DM (6years)/ MDS) and conducted the exam on November 10, 2024. The result was declared on November 16, 2024.

The plea said AIIMS said in the prospectus that "Allocation of various disciplines of MD/MS courses will be done by the combined online counselling of the Institute of National Importance. First, second, an open round of online counselling and spot round (if needed) will be conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi for all the INIs".

It said the candidates were under the impression that in terms of the prospectus the spot round will be conducted, however, they were later shocked to note that AIIMS has decided not to conduct the spot round and it deprived the petitioners an opportunity of participating in counselling rounds for securing a seat.

"The candidates are victims of circumstance as they are made to suffer without any fault on their part. They did rigorous hard work to achieve a good rank, however, they were at no point informed about a possibility of the open and on-spot round being cancelled," it said.

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