PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa refused to stay the 100-point reservation roster and seat matrix for postgraduate medical admissions at Goa Medical College (GMC) for the 2026-27 academic year, allowing admissions to proceed under the new system pending final disposal of the case.
Around 41 NEET-PG candidates challenged the roster, contending that it was arbitrary and seeking a return to the earlier merit-cum-choice system.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam, appearing for the State government, told the court that Goa introduced reservations for postgraduate medical courses at GMC in 2023. However, the absence of a roster system meant candidates from reserved categories often failed to secure seats in specialised disciplines because they ranked lower on the merit list, he said.
“Like the All India quota, where certain seats are reserved for these categories under a roster system, that system was not prevalent in the State quota,” Pangam said. The State introduced the roster for the current academic year to ensure that eligible candidates from reserved categories could access seats earmarked for them in specialised disciplines. The petitioners, however, argued that admissions should follow merit and sought interim relief against the implementation of the roster and the corresponding seat matrix. The High Court declined to grant interim relief, allowing GMC to proceed with admissions under the roster, which earmarks seats in specific specialties for eligible candidates from reserved categories. Earlier this year, the State Cabinet approved the Goa (Rules for Admission to Postgraduate Degree Course of the Goa University at the Goa Medical College) Rules, 2026, providing for reservations in postgraduate medical seats at GMC.
The reservation policy provides 2 per cent of seats for Scheduled Castes (SC), 12 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (ST), 27 per cent for Other Backward Classes (OBC), 5 per cent for persons with disabilities (PwD) and 10 per cent for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). GMC offers 68 postgraduate seats in total.
