The National Medical Commission has revoked recognition of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College in Jammu after identifying serious violations of minimum standards, calling it a direct breach of the 2023 regulations. The regulator has immediately withdrawn permission to run the MBBS course. Approval for 50 MBBS seats for the 2025-26 academic session has been cancelled, and the college’s bank guarantee will be forfeited. Current MBBS students will be transferred to other recognised medical colleges, with authorities assuring that all seats will remain protected. Students will be adjusted in recognised institutions across Jammu and Kashmir under supernumerary seats.
Background: Protests, Admissions & Political Reactions
The controversy around Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence began after several Hindu groups, including the Yuva Rajput Sabha, launched protests demanding reservation for Hindu students. The groups called for Muslim students to be shifted out of the institute.
The protests followed the admission of 42 Muslim candidates, most of them from Kashmir, who secured MBBS seats through the NEET examination. In addition, seven Hindu and one Sikh candidate were also admitted to the medical college. The issue quickly took on a political dimension, with a delegation of the BJP meeting JP Nadda to raise concerns over the admissions.
The medical college, built on 34 acres of land owned by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, had received approval from the national medical regulator on September 8 to begin admissions for the academic session.
Reacting to the controversy, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said MBBS seats at the Vaishno Devi medical college should not be allocated on the basis of religion. He stated that if any institution wished to follow religion-based reservations, it should stop taking state funding and return land provided free of cost by the government.