Medical seats under scrutiny

Mumbai: An alleged MBBS admission offer circulated on social media by a Karnataka-based entity, promising medical seats in leading Maharashtra government colleges to candidates with relatively low NEET-UG 2026 scores, has raised concerns over possible irregularities in the allotment of vacant seats.

The Council for Protection of Rights (CPR) – Grahak Bharti has taken up the matter with the state and Central governments, seeking immediate police intervention, registration of FIRs wherever warranted and a comprehensive investigation by a central agency.

In his complaint, CPR president and barrister Vinod Tiwari has alleged that unscrupulous admission intermediaries could be exploiting the anxieties of NEET-UG aspirants by promising admissions in return for substantial payments.

The complaint comes against the backdrop of nearly 2,000 MBBS and BDS seats reportedly remaining vacant across the country after completion of the NEET-UG 2026 admission process, including 138 seats in Maharashtra government medical colleges.

Admission Scam

The purported advertisement by Jyoti Med Edge Consultancy (JMEC), Mysore, offers MBBS admissions for the 2026-27 academic year to candidates scoring between 250 and 400 marks in NEET-UG 2026. It specifically names five prominent government medical colleges, including three in Mumbai and one each in Pune and Nagpur.

In his memorandum to the authorities, Tiwari has questioned the basis of these claims, pointing out that the advertisement does not specify the applicable admission criteria, category-wise eligibility, state merit rankings, availability of seats or the official counselling mechanism through which such admissions could legally be made.

He has emphasised that admissions to government medical colleges are governed by NEET merit, statutory eligibility requirements, reservation provisions and prescribed counselling procedures. “No private consultancy, agent or intermediary possesses independent authority to allot government seats or circumvent the established admission framework,” he has stated.

The use of the names of reputed government medical colleges to promote such services could also create a misleading impression that private operators have special access to, or influence over, admission authorities. Tiwari has expressed concern that such operators could be taking advantage of gaps in enforcement, despite investigations into earlier examination-related irregularities.

The CPR has sought verification of whether JMEC has any authorisation, affiliation or legitimate association with the colleges named in its advertisement. If no such association exists, the alleged claims could attract scrutiny under provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including Sections 2(28), 2(47), 18 and 21, as well as relevant Central Consumer Protection Authority guidelines issued in 2024.

“If money has actually changed hands through misleading inducements or false assurances, the matter could also attract criminal action under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000,” Tiwari has said.

Financial Exploitation

Highlighting the financial and emotional pressures faced by medical aspirants and their families, he pointed out that parents often exhaust their lifetime savings, sell property or take substantial loans to finance their children's medical education. Misleading admission offers could expose them to considerable financial losses.

The complaint also flags the use of purported last-opportunity deadlines, claims of influential connections, assurances of guaranteed government seats and promises of admissions through management, institutional or stray-vacancy arrangements without clarifying the applicable rules.

According to Tiwari, prospective candidates are allegedly being asked to make advance payments under various heads, including registration, counselling, processing and seat-blocking charges. The CPR has also raised concerns about possible refusal of refunds and operators becoming untraceable after collecting money.

The organisation has urged the authorities to establish whether the advertised services have any legal basis and take appropriate action against those found to be misleading candidates.

12-Point Action Plan

The CPR has proposed a 12-point action plan to prevent possible admission-related fraud and protect medical aspirants and their families from financial losses.

Its recommendations include an immediate investigation to identify similar operators, examination of possible inter-state networks and registration of FIRs wherever offences are established.

The organisation has also called for scrutiny of bank accounts, UPI transactions, payment gateways and QR codes to trace the flow of funds and identify beneficiaries.

Other recommendations include withdrawal or removal of misleading advertisements, preservation of digital evidence in coordination with WhatsApp, Meta and other platforms in accordance with the law, and an urgent public advisory warning candidates against paying private agents for purportedly guaranteed government medical seats.

The CPR has further sought an Action Taken Report from the authorities within 15 days.