CHENNAI: The State government on Friday defended its handling of super speciality medical admissions and said it had moved the Supreme Court against the surrender of unfilled State quota seats to the All India Quota, rejecting allegations of negligence levelled by Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Health Minister KG Arunraj said the State government, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, had taken a clear stand that all seats earmarked for Tamil Nadu under the State quota should be filled only by doctors from the State. The minister's response came after Udhayanidhi alleged that 152 super speciality seats meant for Tamil Nadu government doctors were on the verge of being surrendered to the All India Quota due to the State government's failure to effectively present its case before the apex court.
Refuting the charge, Arunraj said Tamil Nadu had 422 super speciality seats, of which 219 belonged to the State quota and the remaining were allotted under the All India Quota. In previous years, seats left vacant after counselling were surrendered to the national pool, enabling candidates from other states to secure admissions after the cut-off marks were lowered, he said in a statement.
"In 2024, 119 seats and in 2025, 145 seats were surrendered to the All India Quota. Therefore, the claim that 152 seats were prevented from being surrendered last year is incorrect," the Minister said.
Arunraj said that despite 151 State quota seats remaining vacant this year, the Tamil Nadu government refused to surrender them and argued the matter before the Supreme Court.
However, the apex court, in its May 29 order, directed the State to surrender the seats. He said the government had filed a review petition on Thursday seeking reconsideration of the order to protect opportunities for Tamil Nadu doctors and safeguard the State's healthcare structure, particularly in rural areas.