Vaishno Devi Medical College Row: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, has lost its nod to offer the MBBS course for the 2025-26 academic year after a surprise inspection revealed serious violations of minimum standards. The National Medical Commission's (NMC) Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) revoked the college's Letter of Permission (LoP), citing non-compliance with essential regulatory requirements.
The move marks a major setback for the institution and raises serious questions about its operations. While the NMC decision was based on regulatory lapses, the college had already been under scrutiny over alleged irregularities in its first batch of MBBS admissions.
Earlier, the college faced protests from Hindu organisations after it allotted 43 out of 50 MBBS seats to Muslim students, leaving only seven seats for Hindu students. The allocation sparked controversy, with critics alleging bias in favor of a particular community. College authorities, however, maintained that all admitted students were residents of Jammu and Kashmir and that admissions were conducted as per NEET guidelines.
"The first batch of medical students admitted at SMVDIME was largely comprised of Muslims," sources said, adding, out of the 50 allotted seats, only eight Hindu students opted for admission in the college after qualifying NEET, so the remaining 42 seats went to Muslim students after the counselling process for MBBS courses for the academic year 2025-26.
The decision led to widespread unrest in Jammu. Hindu groups threatened protests, while the BJP demanded a rollback of the admission process. Several social, political, religious, and trade organisations formed the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangarsh Samiti, demanding the cancellation of admissions for Muslim students.
On Tuesday evening, the NMC officially withdrew the college's LoP, citing failure to meet minimum standards. Reacting to the move, BJP MLA R S Pathania said: "Quality Over Quantity: NMC has revoked permission for 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME due to a failure to meet essential standards. It reaffirms commitment to quality. Every affected student will be seamlessly transferred to a supernumerary seat in other UT colleges."
Earlier, former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had criticized the college, saying students no longer felt safe due to the politicisation of admissions. He urged the Centre to shut down the institution and accommodate students elsewhere: "We don't need this college. It's not worth being a medical college. Shut down this college and we will arrange education of these students in some other colleges," Abdullah said.
The NMC order explicitly cites "serious lapses in minimum standards" as the reason for immediate withdrawal of permission to run MBBS courses at SMVDIME.
The BJP had also submitted a memorandum to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, chairman of the shrine board that runs the college, requesting the rescindment of admissions for Muslim students. Despite this, official sources confirm that the college followed NEET-based guidelines for admissions and is not classified as a minority institution.
With the closure of MBBS admissions at SMVDIME, Jammu and Kashmir now has 12 operational medical colleges, with nearly all others being government-run institutions. According to the NMC directives, the affected students will be accommodated in other medical colleges across the Union Territory.
