The National Medical Commission (NMC) has withdrawn the Letter of Permission (LoP) granted to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, cancelling its approval to run an MBBS course with 50 seats for the academic year 2025–26.
The decision, taken after a surprise physical inspection by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), followed multiple complaints alleging serious deficiencies in infrastructure, faculty strength, availability of clinical material and the number of resident doctors.
Although the institute had already admitted students after receiving regulatory clearance, the NMC said continuing operations would have severely compromised the quality of medical education.
To safeguard students’ academic interests, the regulator has authorised Jammu and Kashmir’s state and Union Territory authorities to accommodate the affected students in other recognised medical colleges within the UT as supernumerary seats.
The move has triggered political reactions and public debate, particularly in the backdrop of protests around admissions, but officials have reiterated that student welfare and educational standards remain the priority.
Licence Withdrawn Over Serious Deficiencies
According to an official communication issued by the NMC, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence was initially granted a Letter of Permission after completing the prescribed regulatory process. This included scrutiny of documents submitted by the institution and a physical inspection carried out by expert assessors.
Following this approval, the college proceeded to admit students for the 2025–26 MBBS batch. However, over the past few weeks, the commission said it received multiple complaints raising “serious allegations” against the institution.
These complaints pointed to inadequate physical infrastructure, a shortage of qualified full-time teaching faculty, insufficient clinical material to support medical training, and an inadequate number of resident doctors to meet regulatory norms.
In response, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board decided to conduct a surprise physical inspection to verify the veracity of the allegations. The assessment report submitted by the inspection team reportedly confirmed that the complaints were “true and substantiated”, with the deficiencies described as “gross and substantial in nature”.
On the basis of these findings, the NMC withdrew the LoP, stating that the college failed to meet the minimum standards required for imparting undergraduate medical education. Officials emphasised that maintaining uniform quality across medical institutions is essential, particularly at a time when the country faces both a demand for more doctors and concerns about uneven educational standards.
Decision Rationale, Student Relocation
The withdrawal of permission has brought into sharp focus the checks and balances involved in approving new medical colleges. While the NMC clarified that due process had been followed before the initial LoP was granted, it also underlined that regulatory approvals are conditional on continued compliance.
“Continuation of the institution under such circumstances would have seriously jeopardised the quality of medical education and adversely affected the academic interests of the students,” the commission noted in its order.
Crucially, the NMC addressed concerns around students who had already secured admission. Acknowledging that the fault lay with institutional non-compliance rather than students, the regulator authorised state and UT authorities to accommodate all affected students in other recognised medical colleges within Jammu and Kashmir.
These admissions will be made against supernumerary seats, ensuring that existing students in those institutions are not displaced. Officials said this arrangement is intended to prevent any academic loss, delays or uncertainty for students who cleared competitive examinations and enrolled in good faith.
The episode has also unfolded amid heightened public and political attention. Reports indicate that the admission list at SMVDIME had become the subject of protests and communal tensions, following claims and counterclaims about the composition of admitted students.
Political leaders across parties have weighed in, with some describing the loss of a new medical college as a setback for healthcare infrastructure in the region, while others have defended the regulator’s move as a necessary step to uphold standards.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, addressing the situation, stressed that students’ futures should not be jeopardised by protests or politicisation, and directed the administration to ensure their smooth relocation to other institutions.
At the same time, BJP leaders have said the decision underscores the importance of “quality over quantity” in medical education, particularly in sensitive regions where public trust in institutions is vital.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At its core, this episode highlights a difficult but necessary truth: expanding access to professional education cannot come at the cost of quality, transparency and student welfare. Medical education is not merely about increasing seat numbers; it directly shapes the competence of future doctors and, by extension, the health and lives of countless patients.
The NMC’s action demonstrates regulatory vigilance, especially in responding to complaints and conducting surprise inspections rather than relying solely on paperwork. However, it also raises uncomfortable questions about how institutions with “gross and substantial” deficiencies were able to secure initial approval and admit students before these gaps were identified.
For students, the experience is understandably distressing. They prepared for competitive exams, secured admission, and suddenly found their institution’s future in doubt through no fault of their own. The decision to accommodate them as supernumerary seats elsewhere is a humane and responsible step, reflecting empathy and a commitment to fairness.
