<p class="bodytext">The National Medical Commission (NMC)’s decision to withdraw its permission for the 2025-26 MBBS batch in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir is wrong and clearly driven by non-academic considerations. It is to be noted that the course received the NMC nod just four months ago, after the infrastructure and amenities in the college were found to have met the stipulated standards. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in 2016, inaugurated the state-of-the-art super speciality hospital attached to the college. The commission, after a hurried visit to the college this month, cited inadequacy in “faculty strength, clinical material, and infrastructure” to withdraw the approval. This followed a protest by Hindutva groups against the preponderance of Muslim students in the first batch – 42 in a class of 50.</p>.Jammu & Kashmir govt to adjust affected medical students through supernumerary seats: CM Omar Abdullah.<p class="bodytext">These students secured admission in the college after appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). They earned their seats on merit in a national-level examination. But the admission of a higher number of Muslim students led to protests from Hindutva outfits, who formed a resistance group on the matter. The protesting students were backed by the BJP, and the matter was taken to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. One argument put forward by the Hindutva groups is that educational institutions established by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board are funded through offerings made to Mata Vaishno Devi. But the admissions were done based on established rules and procedures, and the college is not defined by law as a minority institution.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The NMC succumbed to political pressure arising from communal considerations to withdraw the recognition it had granted to the college. It violated the best regulatory norms and practices in a decision that goes against academic autonomy. It is an act of discrimination based on religion and a violation of the Constitutional guarantee of equality. The NMC did not issue a show-cause notice to the college before the withdrawal of permission, and there is no provision for appeal. The decision against a college set up to promote medical education and healthcare in Kashmir counters promises made to the people of the Union Territory, following the abrogation of Article 370, that their interests would be protected and promoted. It undermines the credibility of the NMC as a regulatory body. While there is a move to accommodate the students in other colleges, it will not right the wrong that has been committed. It would only underline the unjustness of the commission’s decision.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The National Medical Commission (NMC)’s decision to withdraw its permission for the 2025-26 MBBS batch in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir is wrong and clearly driven by non-academic considerations. It is to be noted that the course received the NMC nod just four months ago, after the infrastructure and amenities in the college were found to have met the stipulated standards. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in 2016, inaugurated the state-of-the-art super speciality hospital attached to the college. The commission, after a hurried visit to the college this month, cited inadequacy in “faculty strength, clinical material, and infrastructure” to withdraw the approval. This followed a protest by Hindutva groups against the preponderance of Muslim students in the first batch – 42 in a class of 50.</p>.Jammu & Kashmir govt to adjust affected medical students through supernumerary seats: CM Omar Abdullah.<p class="bodytext">These students secured admission in the college after appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). They earned their seats on merit in a national-level examination. But the admission of a higher number of Muslim students led to protests from Hindutva outfits, who formed a resistance group on the matter. The protesting students were backed by the BJP, and the matter was taken to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. One argument put forward by the Hindutva groups is that educational institutions established by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board are funded through offerings made to Mata Vaishno Devi. But the admissions were done based on established rules and procedures, and the college is not defined by law as a minority institution.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The NMC succumbed to political pressure arising from communal considerations to withdraw the recognition it had granted to the college. It violated the best regulatory norms and practices in a decision that goes against academic autonomy. It is an act of discrimination based on religion and a violation of the Constitutional guarantee of equality. The NMC did not issue a show-cause notice to the college before the withdrawal of permission, and there is no provision for appeal. The decision against a college set up to promote medical education and healthcare in Kashmir counters promises made to the people of the Union Territory, following the abrogation of Article 370, that their interests would be protected and promoted. It undermines the credibility of the NMC as a regulatory body. While there is a move to accommodate the students in other colleges, it will not right the wrong that has been committed. It would only underline the unjustness of the commission’s decision.</p>
