In a surprising move, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has cancelled the recognition of Jammu’s well-known Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) with immediate effect. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has withdrawn permission for the MBBS course for the academic year 2025-26.
The NMC has also ordered that students who have already taken admission at the institute be transferred to other medical colleges within Jammu and Kashmir. The decision, according to officials, was taken due to serious violations of required medical education standards.
Decision taken after surprise inspection
As per the NMC order, the action followed a surprise inspection of the medical college. The inspection report pointed out major shortcomings in meeting minimum standards.
Sources said the institute failed to meet NMC norms due to a shortage of faculty, weak infrastructure and inadequate availability of resident doctors. The findings have raised eyebrows, especially because SMVDIME is considered a premium institute and is run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. The NMC has clarified that the decision comes into effect immediately.
Admissions row adds to the controversy
While the official reason for cancelling recognition is technical and infrastructure-related, the institute has been surrounded by controversy for months. The college, funded by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Trust, faced criticism over admissions, with claims that a majority of seats were filled by Muslim students.
Local residents and social groups argued that the institute is run using donations from devotees and should primarily serve the shrine’s followers and Hindu society. They questioned whether allocating most seats to students from another community was fair and in line with the trust’s original purpose.
However, authorities have maintained that admissions were carried out strictly on the basis of NEET merit. Despite this clarification, the protests and criticism made the issue highly sensitive. Now, with the recognition cancelled, many are linking the decision to the ongoing admissions controversy, even though the NMC has officially cited failure to meet infrastructure and staffing norms as the reason.
