No communication yet on closure of Al Falah University amid Red Fort blast probe: NMC
Doctor
New Delhi: Amid the speculations whether there will be a permanent closure of Al Falah University after the Red Fort blast case, the Chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Dr Abhijat Sheth, said that the Commission has not received any communication in this regard either from the Union Health Ministry, the State Government of Haryana or the investigating agencies.
Since the Al-Falah University operates under the Haryana Private University Act 2016, and because the University offers several non-medical courses also, the issue of closure of the concerned University will be decided by the Haryana State Health Department.
"So far, we have received no communication from the ministry, the Haryana State Government or the investigating agencies," NMC Chairperson Dr. Sheth told Medical Dialogues.
When asked about the future of medical students who are already studying at the Al-Falah Medical College or those who recently got admitted, he assured, "The Government and the University will make sure to safeguard the innocent students."
Al-Falah University was established by the Haryana Legislative Assembly under the Haryana Private Universities Act. It started as an engineering college in 1997. In 2013, the Al-Falah Engineering College received 'A' category accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of the University Grants Commission. In 2014, the Haryana government granted it university status. The Al-Falah Medical College is also affiliated with the university.
Even though the private university is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), its medical college is regulated by the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body i.e. NMC.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the deadly car blast near the Red Fort area in New Delhi on November 10. The blast, which eight people and injured 20, revealed shocking details, including the alleged involvement of doctors linked to international handlers operating from Afganistan and Pakistan, and were reportedly connected with the Pulwama attack.
The doctor who was driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded near Red Fort is suspected to be the leader of a "white-collar group" of doctors in the terror module. He is alleged to have motivated other doctors to join the 10/11 blast plot. The doctor had moved to Faridabad around one and a half years ago and was working as an Assistant Professor at Al Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research. He completed his MBBS from Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, and was among the state toppers in NEET-PG, securing an MD seat at the same college.
The blast came hours after eight people, including three doctors connected to the university, were arrested and 2,900 kilograms of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a "white-collar terror module" involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. A doctor, who was among the arrested, was a teacher at the Al-Falah University.
Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad has become a key focus of the investigation, as Room 13 in Building 17, occupied by three doctors, including the main accused, is believed to have been used for planning and coordination by the alleged terror group. The college campus reportedly served as the base of operations.
Amid the mounting pressure of investigation, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) under the NMC issued a show-cause notice to the university, asking why it should not recommend to the NMC to withdraw recognition for Al-Falah University’s NMC-recognised medical programmes.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which conducts the assessment of higher educational institutes and also allots grades to them, highlighted in the notice that Al-Falah University's website mentions 'A' ratings by NAAC for Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology and Al-Falah School of Education and Training.
According to the notice, even though the engineering college was graded 'A' in 2013, this grade was valid till 2018. Similarly, the Department of Teacher Education was also graded 'A' in 2011, but it was valid only till 2016. "Both of the above colleges' accreditation status have expired. Both of the above Colleges have not yet volunteered for the Cycle-2 Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) process of NAAC," mentioned the notice.
Meanwhile, the Al Falah Medical College has completed admissions for all 150 MBBS seats for the 2025-26 academic year after holding the last round of counselling on November 13-two days after the tragic incident.
In Haryana, the state medical education department conducts NEET-UG-based counselling for MBBS seats in all government and private colleges, including Al-Falah. After candidates receive provisional allotment, their documents are verified at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak.
However, 15 seats remained vacant after three counselling rounds between August 8 and October 22. These were later filled in the stray round on November 13, as per the provisional allotment list released on November 17. As a result, the newly admitted students are scheduled to join their classes on Thursday.
In Round 3, students NEET-UG scores as low as 155, only 11 marks above the qualifying cutoff, were accepted under the NRI quota. In the stray round, the lowest scores admitted under the minority and management quotas were 250 and 231, respectively.
