Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence.
Credit: SVDIME.in
Srinagar: Uncertainty continues to surround the future of 50 MBBS students of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) after the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdrew approval for the course, with students alleging that government assurances are yet to translate into action on the ground.
On January 6, 2026, the NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) withdrew the Letter of Permission (LoP) granted to the college for the 2025–26 academic session, citing “gross and substantial deficiencies” and non-compliance with prescribed standards. The shortcomings flagged included inadequate infrastructure, shortage of faculty, lack of essential equipment and non-functional operation theatres.
The decision came months after the institute had received a conditional approval in September 2025, following which it admitted its inaugural batch of 50 students through NEET-UG merit.
The controversy around the institute had surfaced even before the NMC’s decision, after right-wing Hindu organisations in Jammu staged protests questioning the composition of the inaugural MBBS batch, alleging regional imbalance.
The government and college authorities maintained that admissions were strictly merit-based and NEET-driven, and denied any link between the protests and the subsequent regulatory action.
For the students, the withdrawal of approval abruptly halted their medical education. “Our college was scrapped all of a sudden, and along with it our mental health, our hard-earned MBBS seat and our dreams,” said Umdat, one of the affected students. “We prepared for years to clear NEET. Now we are sitting idle, even though this was never our fault.”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had publicly assured the students that they would be adjusted in other government medical colleges in the Union Territory to ensure that their academic year was not wasted. However, students allege that no official notification, transfer order or counselling schedule has been issued so far.
The Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) has said it cannot conduct fresh counselling or create additional MBBS seats without explicit government directions and NMC approval, indicating that any adjustment would require the creation of supernumerary seats in existing government medical colleges.
As the academic session progresses elsewhere, students and parents say the prolonged uncertainty is causing severe mental stress and raising fears of losing an entire academic year, urging the administration to take a time-bound decision to resolve what they describe as a crisis triggered by regulatory lapses rather than student failure.