The National Medical Commission's Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has withdrawn the letter of permission granted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi for non-compliance with minimum standards, news agency PTI reported.
All existing MBBS students will be transferred to other recognised medical colleges in the Union Territory.
The college has been embroiled in a heated political controversy over its admission data. For the 2025-26 academic year, 42 of the 50 students in the inaugural batch were Muslims, and one was a Sikh. This composition that triggered intense protests from several groups in Jammu.
Quality Over Quantity: BJP MLA
The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the NMC decision. "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," said BJP MLA RS Pathania.
An order issued by the MARB on Tuesday said all students admitted to the college during the counselling for the academic year 2025-26 shall be accommodated in other medical institutions in Jammu and Kashmir as supernumerary seats by the competent authority of the Union Territory administration, the agency said in its report.
This means no admitted student will lose an MBBS seat due to the withdrawal decision. Instead, they will be adjusted in other recognised medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir over and above their regular sanctioned intake.
The implementation of this relocation will rest with the Union Territory's designated health and counselling authorities, who have been formally informed of the decision through copies of the order.
According to the order, the non-compliance came to light during a surprise inspection.
Acting under section 28(7) of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which empowers the MARB to conduct surprise evaluations of medical institutions without a prior notice, a team of assessors carried out an inspection at the college on January 2, 2026.
This inspection formed the basis of the subsequent adverse findings. The assessment report highlighted extensive deficiencies in faculty strength, clinical material and infrastructure at the institute. The deficiencies enumerated in the inspection report were categorised as non-compliance under these regulations.
After considering the assessment, the commission concluded that the institute had failed to meet the minimum standard requirements specified in the UGMSR-2023 for establishing and running a medical college.
Consequently, with the approval of the NMC chairman, the MARB decided to withdraw the letter of permission with immediate effect.
What was the row?
For some now, BJP leaders, and local trade bodies in Jammu had been opposing the admission list and demanded an immediate rollback. The groups argued that because the college is run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, it should cater primarily to Hindu students.
The BJP had even submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha - who serves as the Chairman of the Shrine Board - asking him to rescind the admissions.
Quality Over Quantity: NMC has revoked permission for 50 MBBS seats at SMVDIME due to a failure to meet essential standards.
The college has followed National Medical Council guidelines on admissions as per the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) list, yet the some groups suggested that only Hindus should get admission in the college.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had voiced concerns over the safety of the students due to the increasing politicisation of the campus. He had urged the Centre to shut down the institution and relocate the students
