In a dramatic turn of events in the NEET UG 2025 counselling process so far, Maharashtra’s State Common Entrance Test (CET Cell) has identified 152 candidates for allegedly providing irregular or forged documents in Round 3 of MBBS admissions with intent of seat-blocking.
The state authority sent official notices to these candidates, instructing them to re-upload original copies by 12:00 noon on October 16 or else be disqualified.
How This Came To Light
After the provisional merit list for Round 3 was published, various complaints were made regarding abuse of the system.
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Some candidates were accused by observers of trying to reserve more seats in Maharashtra by posting false documents like domicile certificates or tampered mark sheets even if they had already filled some other seats (for example through All India Quota counselling or in other states).
As a reaction, the CET Cell conducted an initial verification of all newly submitted applications. It found 152 cases with evident mismatches or forging.
Join NEET News 2025 In most of these cases, these applicants had already been assigned seats in previous rounds, and so this further raised suspicions of intentional seat blocking.
Read Also: Maharashtra CET Cell Releases Revised Round 3 Counselling Schedule
What The Notice Said
The notified applicants have been contacted through email and requested to provide valid and original documents or clarify discrepancies through re-upload within the provided deadline that is 12:00 noon on October 16.
Applicants who cannot meet the requirement or are unable to explain discrepancies satisfactorily will be disqualified from the admissions process.
The CET Cell emphasized its support for having transparency and fairness in medical admissions, claiming that the process of verification is still ongoing and that necessary action will be taken if malpractices are found to exist.
What is Seat-Blocking?
“Seat blocking” is a practice where a candidate occupies more than one seat at a time-especially if one of those seats is occupied through dubious means.
This improper practice denies rightful students a chance to occupy those seats. In this case, it’s accused that certain candidates who were already occupying MBBS seats elsewhere attempted to cheat the system in Maharashtra by presenting spurious documents.
Such malpractices tamper with seat availability, inflate cutoff scores, slow down the counselling process, and engender administrative issues. The frequent recurrence of such charges across states highlights the need for tighter verification mechanisms.
Broader Context & Judicial Directives
Irregularities in medical admissions, particularly seat duplications and fictitious claims, have caught the attention of India’s higher judiciary.
In earlier cases pertaining to NEET PG, the Supreme Court had ordered the implementation of Aadhaar-based tracking systems for seats. The idea is to avoid candidates taking multiple seats or making false claims about credentials.
The move by Maharashtra’s CET Cell is a sign of this broader push towards integrity in admissions. With speedy action on suspected fakes and the setting of deadlines, the cell is indicating a zero-tolerance policy on manipulation in such a high-stakes process as medical college admissions.
Read Also: Maharashtra CET Cell Releases Revised Schedule for NEET UG 2025 CAP Round 3
