Udhayanidhi Stalin. File
| Photo Credit: L. Balachandar
Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin has written to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, urging his immediate intervention to prevent 152 vacant super-specialty medical seats from being surrendered to the All-India Quota (AIQ).He alleged that this situation arose because the current TVK-led government failed to present proper arguments before the Supreme Court recently. He wrote the letter citing the apex court’s order dated May 29, which directed that these 152 super-specialty medical seats in Tamil Nadu be transferred to the AIQ.Detailing the background of the case, the Opposition leader noted that out of the 430 super-specialty medical seats available in Tamil Nadu based on the 2025 NEET, 215 seats had been reserved for in-service government doctors. However, only 63 of these seats were filled through regular counseling, leaving 152 seats vacant after the conclusion of the second round.Following this, a petition was moved in the Supreme Court by an individual named Tamilvani, seeking the transfer of these vacant seats to the national pool.“When the case came up for hearing on April 8, 10, and 16, the then DMK government successfully presented its arguments, effectively blocking the transfer of these 152 vacant seats,” Mr. Udhayanidhi wrote.However, he claimed the State’s legal strategy faltered after the new government took charge. During the subsequent hearings on May 25 and 29, the counsel representing the Tamil Nadu government failed to present key arguments, most notably failing to point out that the precedent (N. Karthikeyan vs. State of Tamil Nadu) cited by the petitioner was inapplicable to the current case.‘Will affect quality of care’Warning of the long-term impact of this decision, Mr. Udhayanidhi pointed out that surrendering these seats would drastically affect the career progression of in-service doctors in Tamil Nadu. He argued, it would deal a severe blow to the quality of advanced healthcare available to the public in State-run hospitals, particularly in vital departments such as cardiology, oncology, and neurology.He urged the Chief Minister to intervene immediately to rectify the legal stance, halt the surrender of the seats, and ensure local in-service government doctors retain access to these advanced specialised courses.Tamil Nadu reserves 50% of its DM/MCh super speciality seats for in-service candidates. Several seats in cardiothoracic surgery, paediatric surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery remained vacant after two rounds of counselling. Published - June 04, 2026 05:09 pm IST
