No word from NMC yet- BOPEE on accommodation of Vaishno Devi medical college MBBS students

Exercising the powers vested in it under the provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) had withdrawn the Letter of Permission (LoP) granted to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, citing certain deficiencies.

According to a news report by HT Media, BOPEE Chairperson Dr. Meenu Mahajan said, "As we speak, we have not received any official document or communication from the NMC intimating us as to how and where these 50 students have to be adjusted”.

Dr Mahajan further stated, "Once we receive the directions, we will adjust these students on a supernumerary basis within two to three days. How we can adjust them unless and until we know where exactly the seats have been increased. As per past practice, I believe directions have to come from NMC”.

These supernumerary seats were typically created to accommodate students in specific colleges in a given year following the outcomes of court cases. However, since the NMC itself had allotted the seats and then withdrawn them, the instructions should come from the NMC and be routed through the Department of Health and Medical Education.

Furthermore, to protect the interests of students who have already secured admission for the 2025-26 academic year, the NMC stated that state/UT authorities have been empowered to accommodate such students in other medical institutions within the Union Territory on supernumerary seats, in accordance with applicable rules.

Meanwhile, a top official from the Health and Medical Education Department claimed that the process has been initiated. He said, “We have 10 government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. The affected students will be accommodated based on proper counseling, considering merit in descending order, and then based on their preferences.”

This process will be examined closely and carried out with utmost seriousness to ensure that BOPEE does not face any legal difficulties.

The NMC's decision comes amidst a recent controversy surrounding the admission of 42 Muslim students out of a total of 50 in the first batch of the MBBS course at the medical college. Local residents and several organizations were demanding reservations for Hindu candidates, arguing that the medical college was built and is largely funded by donations from Hindu devotees of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi temple.