The National Medical Commission has withdrawn the recognition granted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir for running its MBBS course, citing serious violations of minimum standards. The decision means that all students admitted to the college for the 2025–26 academic year will be shifted to other recognised government medical colleges in the Union Territory.
According to an order issued by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board of the NMC, a surprise inspection conducted on January 2 found major shortcomings in infrastructure, availability of clinical material, and shortage of qualified teaching faculty and resident doctors. The commission said these deficiencies were serious enough to affect the quality of medical education and the academic future of students.
“Continuation of the institution under such circumstances would have seriously jeopardised the quality of medical education and adversely affected the academic interests of the students,” the NMC said in its order. It added that to protect students, the UT administration has been directed to accommodate them in other medical colleges as supernumerary seats, ensuring that no student loses an MBBS seat due to the withdrawal of permission.
The decision comes amid a major political controversy surrounding the college’s first batch of admissions. Out of 50 students admitted for the 2025–26 session, 42 were Muslims, and one was a Sikh, which triggered protests by several right-wing groups and local trade bodies in Jammu. These groups argued that since the institution is run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, it should primarily admit Hindu students.
The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the NMC’s move. BJP MLA R S Pathania said the decision showed a commitment to standards in medical education. “Quality over quantity. NMC has revoked permission for 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME due to failure to meet essential standards. Every affected student will be transferred to other colleges in the Union Territory,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had earlier raised concerns over the safety and well-being of students due to the intense politicisation of the campus. He had urged the Centre to shut down the institution and relocate the students elsewhere. “We don’t need this college. Shut it down and adjust the students in other medical colleges,” Abdullah had said, adding that students should not be forced to study in an atmosphere charged with politics.
The college had followed National Medical Commission guidelines and admitted students strictly on the basis of the NEET merit list, with 85 percent seats reserved for domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir. Official sources said the institution is not a minority college and therefore no religion-based preference could be applied in admissions.
Jammu and Kashmir has 13 medical colleges, and the Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence had started its first MBBS batch this year. With the NMC order now in effect, the future of the institution remains uncertain, while the responsibility of relocating students lies with the Union Territory health and counselling authorities.
