West Bengal NEET UG counselling 2025 suspended indefinitely: MBBS and BDS admissions on hold, over 11,000 students left waiting

The West Bengal Medical Counselling Committee (WBMCC) has announced that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2025 counselling for MBBS and BDS courses has been suspended with immediate effect.

The official notice, issued on Monday, stated that the process will remain “in abeyance until further orders.”The decision was made just a day after the revised provisional merit list for 85% state quota seats was released. A total of 11,178 candidates listed in the West Bengal NEET UG provisional merit list are now left uncertain about their admissions as the round 1 seat allotment, which was scheduled for August 20, stands cancelled.

High Court intervention and revised schedule

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had directed a halt to the state’s admission and recruitment procedures citing disputes over Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation. The court later permitted the process to resume, instructing the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) to issue a fresh merit list by August 22. Following this directive, WBMCC published a revised merit list on August 16 and had set the round 1 seat allotment results for release on August 20 after 4 pm, with reporting between August 21 and 23.

However, the new notification issued by WBMCC on Monday read:“The WB NEET UG Medical Dental 2025 Counseling/Admission process has been kept in abeyance till further order. All concerned are hereby informed accordingly.”

Political reaction and student concerns

The sudden suspension has drawn sharp criticism. Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region, Sukanta Majumdar, accused the state government of acting without justification. In a post on X, he wrote:“In the name of an ‘Urgent Notice,’ the West Bengal government has indefinitely suspended the WB NEET UG Medical Dental Counselling and Admission process without giving any proper reason.

The future of the state’s medical students has been pushed into darkness.”He further questioned the intent behind the move: “Why was the admission counselling, once started, suddenly halted indefinitely? Is this yet another attempt to appease narrow political interests by granting undue privilege to a particular group under the guise of reservation?”With the admissions on hold, medical aspirants in the state are once again left in limbo, awaiting clarity on the next steps from the authorities.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.